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Thank you [to Master-of-Ceremonies, author and journalist Michael Jacobson] for that wonderful introduction. I’ve always thought that it’s very important to be introduced truthfully – but I liked that much better! But what you are about to hear is the truth, the whole truth … or at least, something like the truth ... Thank you very much for providing this valuable opportunity to talk about some of the finer points of cataloguing. Just kidding ... I’ve been asked if there is any correlation between Warrior Librarianship and real life. To start with, I’m going to make a major assumption – that everyone here tonight knows what I’m talking about. If you don’t, then I might as well talk about cataloging … Just so I can get an idea of the demographics … could you please put your hand up if you work in a primary school library; a high school library; a K-12 library; another type of library. Thanks. Now, put your hand up if you weren’t included in any of the other groups. (Not that I actually care or anything, I just hate to leave anyone out ...) Now, could you please raise your hand if you know what I do. OK, could you please tell ME? Sometimes I get a little confused ... According to my employer, I am a “teacher librarian”. Apparently, that means that I teach “library stuff”. Or do something up in the library. No-one seems quite sure, except that a lot of coffee seems to get drunk ... However, according to that unfailing source of accurate, authorative and current information – the Internet - I’m a Warrior Librarian! What-the-heck does that mean?!!! Despite extensive research – which as we all know means that I looked at a few web sites – there doesn’t appear to be any role statement for Warrior Librarians. Although there have been a number of suggestions. Mainly from my various past principals. But I won’t repeat them here. History will undoubtedly record their remarks - probably inaccurately. And without a right-of-reply ... But speaking of history, there ARE a number of well-documented cases of warrior librarianship in real life. Actually, the earliest trace of a Real Life Warrior Librarian was the Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal. I’m hoping there aren’t too many people here tonight who are fluent in the ancient Assyrian language, otherwise I'm in deep trouble ... Back in the seventh century BC, Ashurbanipal didn’t believe that the “pen was mightier than the sword”. For a start, they didn’t have pens. Although they did have the equivalent of the “written word”. Ashurbinipal valued the recording of the written word, but appreciated the inevitability of having to walk the talk, big-time. He made significant advances in what we might today call “collection development”. A major part of his collection were “gathered” in military conquests. He also employed graduates of the local Scribe School to copy many of the documents in the library’s 20,000 clay tablets. I was unable to find out what type of photo-copier he used, nor what the charge per page was ... I’m just trying to imagine how much a ream of clay tablets weighed … Don't imagine that Ashurbinipal’s library was just a pile of clay tablets thrown around an available room. The collection was catalogued and shelved alphabetically within topic areas. And even available to borrow. To the "right" people, of course. They even had what might be called an aggressive “acquisition’s program”. This allowed them to loot and plunder any libraries in adjoining countries - but that's OK, because it was all documented in their official policy ... Not only that, but theft reduction was also addressed. Each tablet contained had a warning in the form of a curse, such as [Short reading from Lionel Casson's book, Libries of the Ancient World.] I don't know who all these Ishmaels [from the reading above] were, but judging from the dire threats I'm pretty sure they weren't the library monitors or volunteer mums ... Of course, it was the ancient Greeks who set up the original Great Library of Alexandria. A series of Ptolemies (starting with No 1) were responsible. However, by the time of Ptolemy 8 and 9, the directorship of the GLA had become a political “plum”, and was offered to, and filled by, a series of military men, politicians, and other sycophants. Is it any wonder that by the start of the 3rd century AD the place was a complete shambles? One of the “qualified” librarians who was an earlier director of the GLA was ERATOSTHENES. This was “The Librarian Who Measured the World” – some of you will probably have the book in your school's library. ERATOSTHENES wrote books on geography, drew maps, and studied what was the then-known world. The usual backbiters nicknamed him “Beta”, meaning “Number #2"; not computer software that doesn't work, but more along the lines of second rate. They believed that he spread himself so thinly that he couldn’t possibly be good at anything. In 30B.C. Didymus was the director of the original GLA. His contemporaries acknowledged is dedication and knowledge of library administration by nicknaming him “Chalkenteros” – which translates as “Old Bronze Guts” – so you can see that he too was greatly loved. Incidentally, Didymus churned out between 3,500 and 4,000 books, which were mainly in the vein of literature reviews. According to Lionel Casson – author of the book “Libraries of the Ancient World” – Didymus was known for “Toiling in the library while the Western world was being torn apart from Rome’s civil wars”. Doesn’t it warm the cockles of our collective hearts to hear that at least some people have clear priorities ... This is another true fact. (As opposed to a factoid or false fact). Julius Caesar, in the days when he “bestrode the world like a colossus”, had plans to tart-up Rome’s cultural status by giving it its first public library. But his assassination cut that project a little short. The history books ascribe the assassination to political motives. Personally, I think it was the Ancient Geeks – who you could pick out of a crowd by the fact that they were the ones that were wearing socks under their sandals. These ancient Geeks were horrified by the thought of any money being spent on something as frivolous as a library. There was actually a much greater need for technology funding – like an open source catapult, and upgrading the bureaucracy. Luckily, Assinius Pollio – a poet and supporter for Caesar’s library project – took himself off on what is described as a ‘military campaign” … which resulted in enough plunder to build Rome’s first public library. Sure, although Assinius (probably called just “Ass" by his friends - but they weren't very good friends anyway, so what did he care?) may not have been an actual Warrior Librarian as such. But I think his efforts should be recognized here. After all, if you’re prepared to slash, burn and kill – or maybe be killed – for the sake of libraries … Good Grief! Not even I’m prepared to go that far. Unless I was really pushed … Also historically documented was Hypatia, mathematician, philosopher and head of the original Great Library of Alexandria; who has been described as "the last great librarian of classical civilisation". The History books tell us that she was killed in 415 AD by a mob opposed to her following of teachings of Plato. Yep. At 4-15. Maybe if she’d left at 3 o’clock like everyone else …. But my theory is that they probably didn’t like her [variously named] policies much either. The mob just used the Plato thing as an excuse. There have been many former librarians who played a significant role in MODERN HISTORY. Golda Meir, former public librarian in Milwaukee, found that her library skills were of great use in administering the ongoing Middle East crisis – that had existed for thousands of years before she took office. There was no “oh look – a librarian running the country …quick, let’s see how we can make her life more difficult” sort of attitude. That only happens in schools. J. Edgar Hoover. After working at the Library of Congress for 5 years, went off to head the American FBI. Which was a nice change from scraping gum off the bottom of chairs. Yep. He worked at the Library of Congress for 5 years - which is 60 months, or around 1,800 days. He probably also counted the minutes, too. Starting life as a messenger, Hoover gradually worked his way all the way up to the position of "Clerk". And he had two law degrees. Sounds like the average career path for teacher librarians, doesn’t it? More recently, in 1971 the India's women's volunteer force was formed. It was only honoured earlier this year. According to news reports "the main tasks of [that] force were to take care of the wounded freedom fighters, train up the women fighters and manage the mobile libraries". I’m still coming to grips with the images of saris tucked into steel-capped boots, and handing out books with one hand – whilst balancing a high-powered assault rifle with the other one. The Risk Assessment requirements for their OHS policies must have been a nightmare! So there IS documented proof that there have been warrior librarians in real life in the past. But what about the present? Are there any indicators of warrior librarianship apparent today? What should we look for? Is it a physical appearance? Nancy Pearl, the real-life Seattle librarian on which the Librarian Action Doll is based. Who bought one? Why? Perhaps no other toy in the history of the universe has caused so much division within a profession. I’ve heard the “shushing” action described variously as “a hoot”, a “great giggle”, hot, cool ... But many others have violently objected to the, and I quote, “continuance of the inaccurate stereotype. I quote from myself, because George Bernard Shaw did. But then he probably had more interesting stuff to say. But back to Nancy Pearl. So what does a Real Life librarian look like? No real research has been done on this, although I've made numerous funding requests. So we have to rely on those other research strategies – ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE and DIRECT OBSERVATION. These research strategies fall into a particular category – CHEAP ... We know that librarians in Real Life generally vary in HEIGHT vary from diminutive to gargantuan. In SHAPE from sub-anorexic to what I like to call Rubenesque Double Plus. In AGE from post-graduation through to Pre-Cambrian. How does this compare to the physical expression of Warrior Librarianship? On the Internet, there are websites for the Tattooed Librarian, the Leather Librarian, the Lipstick Librarian, Librarian Avengers, belly-dancing librarians … and heaven-help-us, even Goth Librarians. But do any of these encapsulate the actual SPIRIT of warrior librarianship? Perhaps the only representation of a non-stereotypical librarian with any relevance to Warrior Librarianship is "Conan the Librarian". But what do we know about the real-life professional behind this Conan? I mean, has he ever been to a SLAQ conference, just for a start. Perhaps he’s actually an 82 year old walking-frame mobilized person. Who knows? But then, I couldn’t find any photographs of Ashurbanipal either. Except for a photograph of an ancient vase in a museum, that may possibly depict him. I thought he looked quite noble, and like a pretty nice bloke. But I’m mindful of the fact that we are not supposed to judge books by their cover. Although, whatever works – particularly for circulation rates … Perhaps we need to examine the non-physical attributes of Warrior Librarianship. Again, there doesn’t seem to be any firm guidance in a single authoritative work on this topic, except for the Pulitzer-Prize hopeful, Biblia’s Guide to Warrior Librarianship. And even THAT doesn’t have a definition of Warrior Librarianship. So, what IS Warrior Librarianship? Warrior Librarianship is NOT a method of cataloguing. It is NOT a procedure for collection development. It’s an attitude. It is often described as a refusal to be reasonable. I tried reasonable once – but it just wasn’t me. Warrior Librarian is the embodiment of passive subversion, which becomes necessary in a profession that often cannot convince school - and district/state/national educational decision makers of its value, despite actual real research. I’m sure that everyone of you sitting here tonight has at some time in the past, or will at some time in the future, will be meeting with a principal who has just made what is technically known as a Really Bad Decision. At this stage, most of you will undoubtedly address this with a concise recitation of the facts, followed by clearly articulated research statistics, with the presentation of documented proof. For principals whose preferred learning style is visual rather than auditory, you may quite possibly provide a PowerPoint Presentation. And if they STILL don't get it, you might have to provide a coloring-in worksheet. But if you're working with that level, please use discretion with handing out scissors or other sharp objects ... For those of you working under an administrative regime characterised by progressive leadership, your advice will not only be appreciated, but also considered. In some cases, your recommendations might also be followed. For the rest of you, where school organization is run along the lines of a script that would make the Marx Brothers proud – and budgeting is controlled by Larry, Curly and Mo; where management style is based on the principles of Benevolent Dictatorship – and not especially benevolent … its time to get subversive. Not in the sense of insubordinate, mutinous, or seditious. [Dons a horned viking hat] But remember to be subtle. Take budget submissions, for example. I know that I have won the admiration of a number of my classroom colleagues for my financial acumen. I’ve heard muted exclamations of “banker” as I’ve passed them in the school. At least, that’s what I thought they said. My hearing isn’t what it used to be … In the not dim-enough past, I started at one school – and found out on Day 1 that I was the 5th TL in 3 years. By Day 2, I’d found out why. I’d often thought that if I ever write my memoirs, I would give one chapter to each school I’ve worked in. But this particular school demands almost its own volume …. But for legal reasons, I have to wait for a few people to die first…. I'm not just taking the opportunity to have a whine here. Although any opportunity is a good one ... The point is that it is this type of environment that breeds a Warrior Librarian attitude. In a perfect world, what would be the point? If you work in a library where your budget is sufficient to buy everything that is needed; where staffing levels allow you to spend 100% of your time playing computer games, and still manage to have a lunch break; where your library users are 100% information literate ….sigh. But I’m dreaming – not even in a perfect world … So, what IS Warrior Librarianship? Warrior Librarianship is a PASSION for making improvements, and not accepting the status quo (which means the moronic decisions based to past practices – which were in turn also based on someone else’s misconceptions). Warrior Librarianship is the REALISATION that every day will be a salmon day, but still getting up in the morning and putting on your scuba gear. Warrior Librarianship is the DETERMINATION to strive to meet exacting professional standards in the management of your library, despite the fact that very few of your colleagues will ever know, and even less of them will care. Warrior Librarianship is the COURAGE to work in a library where the administration has a completely different agenda, perspective and budget emphasis to yours. Warrior Librarianship is having the PATIENCE to continually keep educating, and in some cases re-educating, users of and in your library. Often against their will. And sometimes by force. Ultimately, Warrior Librarianship is a case of COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDING the challenges, difficulties, enormity and, occasionally, the impossibility of our profession, but still LOVING what we do anyway. Is there any correlation between Warrior Librarianship and Real Life? I leave the final decision up to you.Thank you for not throwing things at me. |