Librarianin'

Haven't talked about work for a while, partially because I've been getting tons of shit done. Here's a rundown:

• With the help of lots of student labor, we went through at years worth of gifts from other libraries. As those were being piled up, we gathered up great big piles of superceded materials from around the library. We wound up giving away and recycling about half a ton of paper.



• It seems that there are no written policies about how to buy and process maps in my library. With no map librarian for 18 months (and 3 in the previous 4 years), what oral traditions there were seemed to fade away. Working with folks in the responsible departments, I've started writing default procedure.



• Speaking of default procedures, what sort of occult black hole did the Federal Depository Library Program and its bastard child, MARCIVE, crawl out of? We've had these items piling up with 'problem' records for more than a couple years. Again, working with other folks we're sorting out these problems. And I'm learning a lot more about how the catalog works. A coworker paid me a great compliment around the water cooler (ok, it was the 'near boiling water' tap with which I rinse out my coffee cup): "I think you really wound up in the right department." Well, I think that was a compliment.



• Had an intern start this week. I didn't exactly set him off on a totally direct path, but he seems to be totally getting it. The project is definitely worthwhile.



• The case of one of our more popular historic map series is giving up the ghost. It is no longer safe to open the bottom drawers, as the case has slowly been collapsing. I hurriedly put together a $21,000 furniture request in response.



• Speaking of historic maps: I discovered a couple empty folders that are supposed to have a couple hundred maps in them. We're not sure where they've wandered off to.