ajmatt blog

I promise not to start documenting every trip to the public library because… what better way to lose readers? But I had to write a follow-up post, just this once.
Last time I visited my local library, someone asked me for a recommendation. Today while browsing around Geraldine Brooks* a girl down the aisle from me [...]

I was efficiently making the rounds at my neighborhood public library—off-duty, incognito and librarian glasses long gone (lost, sadly)—when a total stranger asked me for a book recommendation.
I must have looked like I knew what I was doing, a pile of books under one arm and inspecting the “new books” section with the other, because [...]

When my day’s research is all 9/11 lawsuits and Virginia Tech fallout, without a presidential candidate spousal spat to lighten things up, it’s a relief to open Google Reader at lunch and check in with the Bennett family.
How does one knock out a little Pride & Prejudice (or Dracula or Frankenstein—I’m testing all three) every [...]

They are few and far between, but good librarian jokes do make it into the comics. Pearls Before Swine, Dilbert, and Frazz have had a few good runs, and there’s always Unshelved.
I’m unfamiliar with the web comic xkcd, but Advantages to Dating Librarians has been circulating the library blogosphere for a few days, and has [...]

About a month ago, there were two major fires in town. The huge blaze at Eastern Market hogged the news, but D.C. librarians know there was a greater loss at the Georgetown Public Library.
Local retailer Propper Topper released tee-shirts today to support the library restoration, and that they have the best design ever. Who can [...]

I had the privilege of seeing Scott Adams speak yesterday morning at SLA’s closing session. He is an exceptional speaker, especially considering his voice problems (the original blog entry is gone, so this links to the Slashdot blurb).
If you are a Dilbert fan or a flailing creative looking for a humble-but-inspiring pep talk, the video [...]

I think everyone who knows me is aware of my fear of speaking in front of people. I’ve made bits of progress over the last few years, presenting in front of groups of 20 (classmates, then co-workers) without excessive nervousness.
I agreed in January to present with a co-worker at SLA. I had never been to [...]

(1) Denver is a nice city. Drivers don’t come screaming around corners or run red lights (or over pedestrians for that matter). It’s not humid, and it’s more eclectic, diverse and green (recycling green) than D.C. I can almost pretend I’m in downtown Seattle if I ignore the references to altitude on every block and [...]

I’ve made it to downtown Denver for the annual SLA conference.
[Note for non-librarians: that stands for Special Libraries Association, not Symbionese Liberation Army. Yes, someone did ask me to clarify once, and no, I do not endorse Wikipedia for anything but the very beginning stages of research.]
I think I got the last room in town. [...]

While I like my techno-toys, I am way behind in many areas of technology–I’ve resisted blogging for years, and shun anything that resembles social networking. But now that I’m blogging (thanks a lot, Matt), I thought I might as well play with widgets, which led me to LibraryThing. It’s on the social side for me–I [...]