Library Humour
So… the budget is shrinking, restructure is on the horizon, and you're
nearly out of bourbon? Clients/workmates/the library system driving you
insane? Laughter is the best medicine (after the Valium prescription has
run out.)
Let's face it: it takes a while for new staff to be comfortable with the
organisation. People just don’t know what they can get away with. Here's
a quick Q and A that you might like to use as a basis for your training
material. (Or possibly not.)
After a particularly trying phone conversation, I suddenly became aware of
the way that some basic "mentally ergonomic" products could streamline the workplace.
(Actually, I found myself wishing for a "euthanise" button on the phone, or
at least one that might give the person on the other end a nasty shock. I startled
myself a bit, but at least thinking of these products stopped me gnawing my
own leg off.)
Run this one up on some office letterhead and see how far people get before they
realise it's a joke! My personal best is about 3/4 through (without official letterhead).
This is a little flight of fancy about how to use New Age stones to better your
career, which I wrote as a present a couple of years ago (Hi Mike!).
You may have seen the famous Geek Code, which was written so that computer
people (and other geeks) could recognise each other and boast about their
skills and attributes (or lack thereof). If you haven't met it, never fear,
there are instructions. Use this to analyse and publicise your "Library
Self," pop the resulting code block in at the end of your e-mails, and
be amazed at your new popularity. Includes a section to aid Library types
to find romantic partners.
Disclaimer: I didn't write most of these things while at my present job, the
very lovely Uni of Canberra Library.