Today, I took a journey the M'ville branch of the SnoCo library to return some books and use their WiFi. I fixed the Robot Rodeo video on YouTube and added the Sumo Bot video, by the way. Did you know that library cards expire now?
That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Remember the crinkly piece of paper with your 6 year-old neanderthal signature? I used mine at the WiCo library until I was 13 and moved away. My first SnoCo paper card had a lame attempt at a cursive signature and it was good until it went electronic about 10 years ago. Apparently those electronic cards expire. Whatever.
To add to the nonsense at the library, the girl in front of me was asking one of the librarians if she had to log onto the WiFi or if it was public for any enabled computer. The librarian then asked her if she was talking about a computer chip, and looked really perplexed. Then the librarian told her she could use any of the library's computers if she had a library card.
I had read about the public WiFi in the Darrington paper, so I let the girl know she could just turn her laptop on to use the WiFi. Then the librarian looked relieved. Not much later, a really annoying cell phone ring echoed through the library followed by a shouted conversation. What's up with the library? I feel a little Idiocracy encroaching.
Speaking of SnoCo, the parks department is now 4 miles from our house on the Whitehorse trail. The parks department acquired the old rail road track as part of the Washington Rails to Trails program back when I worked at Kayak Point Park. I'm so excited that they decided to scrap the 3 phase option and blaze the whole trail this spring. I can't wait to go on a trail ride with co-worker MK. Our office manager lives down the trail and neither of us have a bike, so MK offered up some horses when the trail is finished. How cool will it be to go all the way into Arlington from my house on horse back?
A bit of my view...
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4 comments:
Probably the woman behind the desk wasn't a librarian--most of the librarians I know at M'ville library are pretty smart/in the know. Too bad the clerk didn't refer the person ahead of you to one, instead of fumbling around like an idiot.
And if you want to keep your card current you have to either: check out materials once every two years... or keep a small fine on your account. Then you won't get bumped. It was probably actually that they just needed to make sure your address is current. They do that every couple of years also.
Sorry, the librarian in me jumped out. Trails are awesome. I wish we had more of them in the city.
Perhaps, but I'm pretty sure I remember her from after school activities from many years ago. It doesn't surprise me that she didn't know much about WiFi, though. Most people that offer it, don't. I think I am spoiled by the quality help of the college libraries, though. Unfortunately, their content is limited. If you ever want to check out a really cool library, look up Florida Southern College.
Well, not to beat a dead horse, and there certainly are librarians who don't understand the technology (we are trying to fix that) but Sno-Isle has non librarians who function similarly to a children's librarian. They are "Children's Liaisons" and also do circ work. Mostly they don't get the same training and they aren't held to the same standards (and they don't have the Master's degree). Wouldn't fly down here with our union--takes work from a different job classification.
Suzzalo is one of my favorite libraries--the reading room is to die for. There are 22 libraries on UW campus, for various things, and they have tons of materials. I will look up Southern Florida College. I always like a good library--I visit every one I can find when I travel to other places.
I'm probably dating myself, but I was referring to the old M'ville library. It was about the size of Darrington's and there were usually only 2 or 3 people working there. The current library and large staff is post-Naval base M'ville, and this was back when you weren't cool in M'ville unless you cow-tipped and listened to country music.
Florida Southern's library was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is probably the coolest library I've been to. But I guess it's only fascinating to people that are in to architecture. I can't really remember how their content was. Maybe if I had spent more time in there my grades would have been better;)
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