All the Lonley Acronyms, Where Do They All Belong?*

The library blogs I read are all useful to me in a myriad of ways, whether it’s informative about the current state of librarianship or just to provide some humor to keep from getting bogged down. Regardless of purpose, however, I’ve noticed that there is a disparate mixture of spelling out acronyms vs. letting acronyms stand on their own.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m OK with acronyms on principle. I did my undergrad at a university that had an acronym for absolutely everything; if something had more than one word, it was abbreviated. The problem was, particularly as an incoming freshman, I was wading through an alphabet soup of nonsense-words with no context. It only added to the natural jitters that came with starting at a new school in a completely new environment. It’s funny how life parallels itself sometimes. Now that I’m entering another new environment and experiencing online education for the first time with my MLIS, I’m feeling a bit of the same freshman jitters that accompany the excitement of starting a new chapter in life. And I’m again in the position to become familiar with a horde of new acronyms.

Now, if I didn’t have the wherewithal to use my resources to find out what the acronym stands for, I have no business trying to be a librarian. For the most part, Google is at least a quick fix. Plus the AmericanLibrary Association (ALA) has a great glossary of acronyms that I’ve found useful as well. But when I come across an acronym I’m unfamiliar with, those old jitters creep up and incite a feeling that is in stark contrast with everything else I’ve encountered in my steps toward a career change. 

Everyone I’ve spoken to about getting into Library Science has been nothing but encouraging and welcoming to me, which is why it’s so surprising when I come across an acronym without much context. I realize that there is a certain level in any career where acronyms just come naturally (10 years later, I still use the acronyms of my alma mater) but for those of us entering the field, it can give an air of exclusivity. In a field that is adapting to changing times, getting broader in scope and is trying to become more user-friendly, it’s always helpful to have an acronym spelled out on its first use just to get everyone on the same page. After that, feel free to abbreviate away for the rest of the post. (Or, if you’d prefer to save word space, Gava Libraria has used an elegant solution.) This is particularly useful when (as I’ve found on Google) some acronyms can have more than one meaning. While context usually eliminates the outlandish possibilities, a newbie can harbor a fair amount of lingering doubt as to whether he/she is using a term properly. 

So I offer this as a plea to all the librarian bloggers to be your encouraging, welcoming and educating selves and help out the newbies. Please explain your acronyms. It helps clarify any misunderstandings plus offers those of us unfamiliar with your terms another way into your awesome field. Once we learn the lingo, we can only be more helpful to you! Plus, for any non-librarians who may read blogs or articles because they are trying to understand just what the library is good for nowadays (for funding purposes, perhaps?), it’s helpful to wipe away some of the opaqueness that can shroud the profession in the eyes of the general public. Spelling out acronyms is a simple yet profound way of letting people in and I think letting people in is a good way to keep libraries accessible to all.

If you have any other resources for acronym translations, please post it in the comments. If you have a preferred way of explaining an acronym, or if there’s an industry standard I’m unaware of, let me know that, too!

*Adapted from “Eleanor Rigby,” with, of course, greatest deference to The Beatles.

There's a Giraffe at the Library!! *

This is the first of what I’m sure will be many posts that begin with me exclaiming, “Libraries are awesome!” mostly because, well, they are. I love their thinking-out-of-the-box approach to community engagement and I’m lucky enough to have more than one in my area taking this approach. The impetus for this particular exclamation occurred on what would otherwise have been a fairly mundane Monday.  As I drove to the Peabody Institute Library in Danvers, I saw that its entire front lawn had been turned into a sculpture garden. There must have been a dozen or so sculptures dotting the landscape in front of the building giving the entire area the feeling of a casual, modern art museum. 

It turns out this library is pairing with the Barn Workshop Gallery for a limited-time presentation of sculptures. It’s a fantastic way to meld community and culture and the location is perfect. Where else do community and culture come together on a regular basis? At the library, of course! 

I must have been too deep in my reverential musings about the natural pairing of libraries and culture because what I saw next nearly made me drive off the road. As I turned the corner to enter the parking lot I was greeted with this:

Surprise!

This detailed sculpture is an unexpected contrast to the mostly abstract collection leading up to the entrance. The giraffe is so lively it looks like it’s simply passing through on its way to downtown, pausing briefly to look both ways before crossing the street (safety first, naturally).  If the appearance of a life-sized giraffe in suburban Massachusetts wasn’t enough make the average onlooker gawk, the perfect positioning of the sculpture will. As you’re driving by, the giraffe’s head is tilted so it looks directly into the car, as though it’s curiously examining you while you’re taking in the sculpture (or, in my case, regaining control of the car).  I don’t know precisely who worked on placement, but whoever did is a diabolical genius. Not only was I startled out of my post-work haze, but once I regained my senses, I felt like, just for a moment, I was transported to a wild animal park, suddenly on safari instead of my errands. 

Since I’m an animal lover at heart, it may be that this sculpture spoke to me more than it will to other people, despite its brilliant placement. The sculpture that looks like a double-sided slide might be the one that makes other passers-by slam on their brakes in astonishment. But I won’t forget that feeling, a mixture of awe, delight and “holy crap!” anytime soon. 

The feeling may have been triggered by seeing the art piece, but it was brought to me by the library. Without the library’s collaboration with the gallery, I would never have known any of the pieces I saw existed and I would have been deprived of the experience of a giraffe greeting me at the end of my day. It’s easy to forget how much of an impact libraries can make on our lives, offering intangible, but nevertheless important encounters beyond the physical housing and distribution of materials. I sometimes forget that when I simply search the catalog online for a specific title to borrow. But because of this library, I have a picture and a memory that will make me smile for a long time. This curious, copper giraffe is my reminder of how libraries can offer great experiences to their patrons. 

More information about “Celebrating the Art of Sculpture” can be found at:

www.danverslibrary.org

www.barnworkshop.com

*Doesn’t that sound like a children’s book title?

Library School

When I was a little girl, before I started school, my mom took me to my local public library’s children’s programs. They were free, gave me a change of scenery and since I already loved to read, it didn’t take much to get me excited about going to the library. To prepare me for going to kindergarten in the upcoming years, she called it “library school.”  For the longest time, I assumed this was a normal stage in a kid’s life. If someone asked me if I went to preschool, I would always say, no I went to library school, as if it was a perfectly logical substitution. (Of course, in my mind, it was. It wasn’t until much later in life I realized library programs didn’t technically qualify as a formal preschool education.) So it’s with no small sense of irony that I’ve reached a stage in my adult life where I’m applying to MLIS programs, only to find out that it’s called “library school.” I’ve since managed to reconcile it in my head:  Well, future doctors go to medical school, veterinarians to veterinary school, lawyers to law school, so of course librarians would go to library school. Still, I can’t tell you how much my mom and I chuckle over how my life seems to be bookended (pun most definitely intended) by “library school.”

Except for sharing with my immediate family, I’d kept my decision to change careers and go to library school to myself. From previous grad school experience, I’ve learned that the waiting is bad enough without people asking how the applications are coming and if I’ve heard anything from the schools yet. I just got my first acceptance letter last week, so I’m relieved to know that I will definitely be going “back” to library school this fall. Now that I know I’m going somewhere, I’ve begun to let more people in on my decision. The feedback thus far has been supportive, for which I’m extremely grateful, but it’s funny (though maybe not particularly surprising) that when offering support, people are saying they can definitely see me in a career with books.  

I have to admit I get a certain amount of satisfaction by that. Books are a major part of my life. I’ve always been known as the girl who never goes anywhere without a book. I use my 2^nd bedroom as a library (although the books spill over into every room in the house). I am categorized by my love of reading. As far as I’m concerned, these are all good things. At the same time, though, I want to shake these people by the shoulders and tell them that being a librarian is so much more than dealing with books because libraries are so much more than books! 

This discrepancy between the perception and reality of libraries, especially public libraries, was the impetus for my career change.  From a toddler into adulthood, I’ve gotten so much from libraries; books to be sure, but the social experiences are so much more important. My early “library school” experiences were more than story time. There were crafts, games and interactions with other kids my age and adults beyond my family circle that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. As an adult I’ve attended lectures, workshops and discussions dealing with movies, food and museums all of which go far beyond books. Libraries really are a school of their own, able to teach their communities a range of subject matter limited only by the patrons’ imaginations. The Library has been an important part of shaping who I am as a person. I believe that’s what they do best; they use their resources to mold the minds of young and old alike. Keeping that in mind, I proudly say that I’m studying to be a librarian and with a knowing smile I tell people I’ll be doing that at library school.

Hi there!

Not all blogs have an introductory message but I’ve made it a requirement for my blog. It offends my Italian sensibilities not to be welcoming and defies my Canadian heritage not to be friendly. That being the case, I’d like to extend a hearty welcome to those of you adventurous enough to wander into my little corner of the web. 

If you’re wondering what my blog title is all about, I’m using the Great Wide Somewhere as a euphemism for all things information related. (Although if you don’t get the reference, allow me to introduce you to the greatest animated movie of all time…) There’s a vast array of informational sources out there; some useful, some not, some just bizarre but  one place that I know where you can always get reliable information pulled from nearly any source and that’s the library! (Also a neat little tie-in to Beauty and the Beast… see what I did there?) I’m passionate about what libraries are capable of, their traditional and unconventional ways of collecting, disseminating and involving people in information, so much so that I’m pursuing my MLIS this fall. I’m starting this blog to explore libraries and my studies in a broader, more informal context. 

My posts for the near future will be heavily populated by “here’s why libraries are so great” musings. My local libraries are doing amazing things and I’d love to share that here. Hopefully my little ripples can be a small form of advocacy as to why libraries are not only still relevant in an internet-ridden world, but completely awesome. I’ll share things on a more detailed level as my studies progress and if you’re still with me by then, you’re welcome to leave comments to get a library discussion going! (Actually, you're welcome to leave comments any time. I'd love to hear what you have to say.)

Feel free to check out my “About Me” page if you’re so intrigued you want to learn more. In the meantime, stay tuned for postings about my library adventures. 

Welcome!