Finally, Library Code version 1.0 is here. This will be a tool for employers to screen prospective staff (no need to read through lengthy CVs), for staff to assess the ability of their colleagues, or for quietly boasting about one’s own abilities. It is the author’s hope that it will also be an aid to dating within the profession – after all, we have to get new staff from somewhere.
For those that haven’t experienced the regular Geek Code, the concept is simple. Using this code, you have an easy way to tell others about your library job, your personality and appearance, your abilities and interests, and how stereotypical you are.
Go through the following tables, choosing the options that best fit your Library Profile. You then compile the codes that you have chosen into a code block (seen below), which can be used as part of your e-mail signature or otherwise distributed to people In The Know.
LibraryCode1.0:[DPEx++D?btpGen-RshjTP--Cs++Cat?Ma?Ddc+Lcc-GbcRMs$]
In the code. the following may be added to letters to better describe
you:
+ indicates better than the basic level of competency.
- indicates a lower level than the basic level.
* I am the pinnacle of this
? I don’t know what this is.
! I have no involvement in this area whatsoever
Have fun! Please send comments to kwatson @ alianet.alia.org.au
eg. LibraryCode1.0:[
Part 1:What I do in the Library
a) Principle Library–related job/s (choose any)
Multiple choices may be made in this area (multi-skilling). If you have
retired from Library work, chose answers that best fitted your employment,
and precede with an "r" eg. rC
| L | circulations/loans |
| R | reference/information |
| M | manager |
| C | cataloguer |
| Cl | unspecified client services (oooh!) |
| Con | professional consultant (whatever that means) |
| D | undervalued dogsbody |
| S | shelver |
| P | processing items, binding |
| ILL | document supply |
| Sr | serials |
| AV | audio-visual |
| Q | acquisitions |
| IT | systems support or other IT related |
| T | trainer of some kind |
| In | indexer or abstracter |
| Lib- | presently without a library |
| St | library student. |
| V | volunteer or Friend of the Library |
b)Type of Library (choose any)
If working in two or more, choose the one/s that you want people
to know about. If currently "between libraries," leave blank or choose
the area you usually work in.
| A | academic |
| B | business |
| G | government department |
| P | public |
| Sc | school |
| Sp | special |
Part 2: Personality and Appearance
a) Personality type (choose one)
Most library-types are either extreme introverts or quite extroverted.
Choose one of the following:
| In++ | I DO NOT like people! I left the Library once in 1979, but there were too many people out there. Now I just sleep among the shelves. That guy in loans scares me. Actually, I’m afraid of most people. |
| In+ | I don’t like interacting with strangers. This is obvious to everyone around me. |
| In | I like books more than people. |
| Ex | I like people more than books. |
| Ex+ | The people part of my job is my favourite part. I work here for the social interaction. |
| Ex++ | I’m that guy in loans. You can hear my jolly laugh ringing out across the Library. I like jumping out at my "In++"-rated pals from the cataloguing section – for some reason they seem to avoid me. |
b) Dress/Attire (choose one)
What do you usually wear to work?
| D+++ | Designer or tailor-made ensembles. |
| D++ | A colour-coordinated suit of some kind, but not a really flashy one. |
| D+ | There’s probably a jacket involved, or possibly a silk scarf/tie. |
| D | Tidy clothes that won’t catch on the shelves too much |
| D- | Clean and nice jeans and a tee. |
| D-- | Rather old jeans and a tee. There may be rips involved, but I don't care. |
| D--- | I am wearing some clothes. I can’t remember when I last washed them. |
| D? | I’m not really sure what I’m wearing now. |
| D! | I don’t wear anything at all. (Pray that I'm working from home.) |
Add any of the following as appropriate to develop the specificity
of your appearance: eg. D--8htp{>
| 8 | glasses |
| ~ | there is a chain or cord attached to my glasses |
| h | I have extreme hair – eg., long (in males), shaven, dyed unnatural colours |
| @ | I wear a bun |
| c | I am often seen in a cardigan |
| j | I wear lots of jewelry |
| t | tattoos |
| m | make up (I'm never seen without it) |
| p | piercings |
| {> | I have a beard and moustache |
| { | moustache only |
| > | goatee only |
c) General Knowledge (choose one)
| Gen++ | I have encyclopaedic knowledge of most subjects – when the computers go down they just ask me. I can’t watch quiz shows because I find them too frustrating. [NB: not including Wheel of Fortune or Who wants to be a Millionaire] |
| Gen+ | I believe or claim that I am an expert in at least one area, and can field many ready reference queries without looking it up. |
| Gen | I know some interesting things. I might have read them somewhere. |
| Gen- | Shakespeare’s a playwright then? East Timor? What’s the deal with that? |
d) Reading habits (choose one)
| R++ | I can read a book a day, and frequently do. I am usually at my borrowing limit. I am a member of two or more libraries. I get upset if I have nothing to read. |
| R+ | I like a good book, and will read a poor book if there’s nothing better available. |
| R | I like a good book. |
| R- | I don’t like reading at all. Not really sure what I’m doing in the Library, actually. I’ll be happy when you can just download this stuff into your brain. |
| R! | No-one’s going to get me to open a book |
Now indicate what you like to read. To your R class, add as many of
the following as appropriate.
eg. R+sfm or Rr
| * | will read anything (inc. cornflakes packets and Readers Digest Condensed Books) |
| l | literary fiction |
| s | science-fiction |
| f | fantasy |
| m | mystery |
| h | horror |
| t | thrillers |
| b | bestsellers |
| r | romance |
| j | children's books |
| n | non-fiction |
| e | USENET, e-zines, fanfic, web stuff |
e) Wired up (choose one)
Indicate your level of Internet usage:
| N+++ | I’m seldom off the Net for longer than a few minutes. I have lots of friends that I e-mail regularly, but I can’t remember when I last saw them. If the Y2K thing had really happened, I would have crashed faster than the jet planes and missiles. |
| N++ | I get upset when the network goes down. I need my regular fix of fast information and/or e-mail. |
| N+ | I’m pretty good at using the Net. I e-mail regularly, and can show others how to use it too. |
| N | I use the Internet, and I can even find what I want sometimes. |
| N- | The Internet makes me nervous. I worry about viruses a lot. |
| N-- | The Internet is full of pornography, and breeds terrorists. Someone should blow it up. |
| N! | Have not used it/WILL NOT use it. |
f) Bibliophilia (size of book collection) (choose one)
Examples: B1$$ would indicate "I own a few very valuable books."
B*+?$$ may indicate that "I secretly live in the Library."
| B! | I have no books in the house (except the phone directory) |
| B1 | less than one hundred books owned |
| B2 | between one hundred and five hundred |
| B3 | five hundred to one thousand |
| B4 | one thousand to 5 thousand |
| B5 | up to ten thousand |
| B* | More than that |
| B? | I don’t care how many books I own |
| B+? | I don’t know how many books I own. Perhaps one day I’ll hire someone to count them |
(add - optional)
| $ | My books are worth more than a new car |
| $$ | My books are worth more than a new house |
g) Terry Pratchett awareness. (choose one)
Many Library types like Mr Pratchett’s books. Indicate your awareness.
| TP* | I am Terry Pratchett |
| TP+ | I have read everything he’s written, including the kids books. Ook! |
| TP | I have read his books and liked them. |
| TP- | Pratchett? I can take it or leave it. |
| TP-- | Didn’t like it at all. Too long/too silly/too many obscure words. |
| TP? | Never read any. So he’s an author, then? |
Part 3: At Work
a) Customer Service (choose one)
| Cs* | I’m still trying to find stuff for this guy I served in 1985. I don’t have a contact phone no, but he might come back and get it some time. |
| Cs++ | Other staff think I spend too long helping people. It makes me feel good, though. Library members may send me Christmas cards and little presents. |
| Cs+ | I try to give people exactly what they need, even when they aren’t sure what they need. |
| Cs | People come. I give them stuff. They go away. |
| Cs- | I *really* don’t like people. Give me a closed stack library any day. As I’m completing this Library Code there’s a long queue in front of me. |
| Cs! | I do not deal with customers. They keep me locked away in a small room. |
b) IT skills (choose one)
| IT* | I am a world-(in)famous computer professional – eg. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates |
| IT++ | I am a system administrator or have another IT-specific job (see also IT--) |
| IT+ | I am good with computers. Others ask me for help, and I often can. |
| IT | I use computers, and get things done. |
| IT- | Give me back the card catalogue. Computers worry me. |
| IT-- | I am rated as a "IT-" and I work in an IT-specific job. |
| IT! | I refuse to use computers. They are the Spawn of Satan! |
c) Cataloguing Ability (choose one)
| Cat+++ | I have memorised AACR2. I may catalogue my personal books for fun on the weekend. |
| Cat++ | I correct other people’s records or habitually send stuff back to be recatalogued to my high standards. |
| Cat+ | I can catalogue. It’s OK. |
| Cat | I know what a catalogue record looks like and may be able to make one if I tried. |
| Cat- | I hate cataloguing or can’t do it at all. |
| Cat? | Cataloguing? Is that when you deliver junk mail? |
| Cat! | You’ll never get me messing with that stuff!! |
c) MARC knowledge
| Ma* | I was the creator of a MARC system |
| Ma++ | I have memorised the complete tags and delimiters of at least one MARC system. I may use tags in my regular speech and writing without realising it. |
| Ma+ | I can code without looking up the tags too much. |
| Ma | I know what MARC is, and may have used it. |
| Ma- | I know what MARC is, but bugger me, I wish I didn’t. |
| Ma? | Mark who? |
Classification – optional. (Choose one)
Indicate any classification schemes you have used, then add qualifiers
to each one to show your level of ability eg. Ddc-Lcc--
Lcc (Library of Congress)
Moyes
Ddc (Dewey Decimal)
other - or insert a recognisable acronym)
To each classification chosen, add:
| * | I am or have been somehow involved in the development of it |
| ++ | I am a guru of this classification. Kneel at my feet! |
| + | I can classify in it |
| [blank] | I can find stuff in it, or shelve it |
| - | I can’t make any sense of it at all. What kind of idiot invented this stuff? |
| -- | I can’t make any sense of it at all (and my library uses it). |
| ! | I manage to avoid this class. scheme (ask me how). |
Part 4: Additional
a) Nerdy interests?[optional]
OK, people believe that library types are all a bunch of geeks, or possibly even nerds. It is time that we embraced the truth in this concept, and said to the world: "Yes, I am geeky, but I’m proud."
For persons with interests outside of work (gosh!), enter a G ("geek of") followed by as many items as needed. eg. Gsbmc
G
(add)
| s | stamps or phone cards |
| r | role playing |
| t | textile crafts, sewing, cross-stich, macrame, etc. |
| p | paper-related crafts, origami, bookbinding |
| b | bellringing (needs a special mention) |
| m | musician or singer (classical or just really, excessively, keen) |
| a | art (painting, sculpture) |
| c | computer stuff |
| v | movies (esp. old or cult) |
| g | gardening |
| f | I hang around with a bunch of geeks. I guess we do geeky things. |
b) Romantic Availability: (optional)
In this area, indicate your availability or marital status as an aid to dating within the profession.
Following "R": declare your sex and orientation, and then add your marital status. Persons seeking an affair with a colleague should add an additional "a" to their marital status. ie. RF+dea
R
(add one of the following)
| F | I am a straight female |
| F+ | I am a lesbian |
| F+- | I am female and may be interested in any respondents |
| M | I am a straight male |
| M+ | I am gay |
| M+- | I am male and may be interested in any respondents |
(now add one of the following)
| m | married |
| de | defacto |
| e | engaged |
| div | divorced (see "s" endings below) |
| sep | separated (see "s" endings below) |
| d | dating someone I like - not looking at the moment |
| d+ | dating someone I don’t like/looking for something better |
| d* | dating lots of people. Would you like to be one? |
| s | single, and rather happy with that state |
| s+ | single, and on the lookout for someone special |
| s++ | single, and on the lookout for anyone |
| s$ | single, and looking for a millionaire or better |
c) Personal Classification [optional]
If there is a particular interest or feature of yourself that you especially want the world to know about, you may wish to add a suitable call number for yourself in this area. A subject heading from a recognised thesaurus such as LCSH may also be used if preferred.
Part 5: End
Complete your Library Code with a square bracket. "]"
Your code is now ready for display to all your Library friends and
colleagues!
©Kath Watson, Jan 2001
May be freely distributed without alteration. Suggestions for alterations or
new sections gladly received.