6-29-04: how not to adapt a comic book
The Seattle Times brings us Comic to film: the do's and don'ts of adaptation. Good article, but it could be summed up thusly. [via Thought Balloons]
6-28-04: A librarian is BRILLIANT.
I'm not sure quite how this works (although I have some ideas...) but it's a lot of fun...
What is a librarian? A librarian is BRILLIANT.
What is punk? Punk is dead. Punk is NOT DEAD.
What is a boyfriend? A boyfriend is a male partner in a romantic relationship.
What is the perfect pop song? The perfect pop song is 3 minutes long.
What is Tara? Tara is worshipped in many forms.
[via Library Stuff]
6-21-04: another list, another contoversy
Lists are fun because they give us something to argue over. Today's feature: The 100 greatest British albums, from the Observer Music Monthly. They sum it up well:
Lists. Don't you just hate them. And yet, don't you just love them.
Personally, I attribute any wrong-headedness on this list to the inclusion of Rick Wakeman on the panel. [via MetaFilter]
6-18-04: it's Friday and I'm feeling pimptastic
Devious Honey T. Valentine in the hizzie! Don't steal mine, get your own pimp name at Player Appreciate. Purchase iced out belt buckles and solid crunk hats if you so desire. Personally, I am letting my inner pimpitude shine through unaccessorized. It's the diy pimp way, baby. [via Metametametadata]
On a slightly more serious note, and speaking of pimps, The Comic Pimp has some words about comic book covers. He's talking retail, but libraries seem much more interested in marketing and promoting these days, so it might be of interest, especially to libraries that stock comics. I used to think marketing was a dirty word, but I'm starting to rethink that. You might have the best collection in the world, but if you don't let me know that, I'm much less likely to take advantage of it. So, if you still think marketing is a dirty word, try pimping. There, feel better now?
I just found out that it is the Year of the Samurai Librarian at the High Plains Regional Library System. I found out about this a bit late (apparently the Samurai Librarian's year ends in October) but there is still time to hone my swordsmanship.
I wonder what next year will be the year of? Super Librarian? Ninja Librarian?
For a good overview of the SLA conference experience in Nashville, check out the InfoToday Blog - Live From Nashville! They cover the good and the bad of the conference and the venue.
It was nice to attend an SLA conference where we weren't discussing a name change for the organization for once. I got a little tired of listening to people complaining about the conference venue, though. Sure, the Gaylord Opryland Resort took a little getting used to (they give you a map showing the route to your room when you check in), but you could sneak in some time at the pool in between sessions, and getting lost in an indoor garden has its merits compared to fighting through crowds in midtown Manhattan while racing from one session to another. By the end of the conference, I was affectionately referring to the Gaylord Resort as "the biodome". I even made a new friend who is not a librarian:
No one believed me that there were ducks swimming in the "river" inside the hotel, so I took photos. There were some pretty good-sized catfish too.
I can't wait to see what people complain about in Toronto next year!
I have returned from the SLA conference in Nashville. It has been raining ever since I got back, and I'm sad to hear that Ray Charles died yesterday. (I had to wade past all the Ronal Reagan coverage and go to the entertainment section of CNN.com to find that article. He just died yesterday, and already he's old news??) I'm still working on catching up on sleep, but I will post some thoughts on SLA and, of course, the wonder that is the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.
Meanwhile, TLC teaches us that librarians are not the only people suffering under stereotypes. The "timid Texas librarian" who was on TLC's Faking It discovers that the Coyote Ugly girls were not exactly what she expected, either.
TLC is going to try to turn a "timid Texas librarian" into a Coyote Ugly barmaid on Sunday's episode of Faking It: From Super Shy to Superfly. Yeah, you know I was going to be on this show but I was already too superfly. [via The Young Librarian]
And speaking of superfly, here's a good resource: Blaxploitation.com. [thanks, W]
6-3-04: Nashville, here I come!
I head down to Nashville for the SLA Annual Conference this Saturday. This will be my first visit to "Country Music, USA" and I plan to take in as much of the local culture as I can, despite my mixed feelings about the current state of country music. To get into the spirit of things, here are some good country music links--all about Dolly.
The Library of Congress recently awarded Dolly Parton the Living Legend Medal. Dolly also supports literacy through her foundation's Imagination Library.
Oh, and there's always Dollywood, but seeing as I hate amusement parks, I won't be visiting.
Apparently the Gay Librarian didn't much care for Opryland, but then he doesn't much care for Emily Dickinson, either. It makes for a funny story and I'm really curious to experience Opryland for myself. SLA - last year in the bustle of midtown Manhattan, this year "all under one roof!" at the Opryland Resort. Maybe this time we won't be debating a name change?
There is a bill in the House of Representatives right now called the "Parents Empowerment Act" which would empower parents to sue anyone distributing material that might be deemed offensive if "a reasonable person would expect a substantial number of minors to be exposed to the materials". Yeah, 'cause it would be so much better to have parents going around suing comic book store owners than actually paying attention to what their kids are reading. Read more at Ninth Art and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
And speaking of outraged parents, one such in Evanston requested that the library remove "Pinkerton, Behave!" because the book depicts a burglar (Evanston library won't ban kids' book, Chicago Tribune, 5/21/04). The library, in a fit of reasonableness and common sense, will keep the book. Jan Bojda, head of children's services, said, "A good library collection should have something to offend everyone." Hear, hear! [via librarian.net]
You want to know what offends me? That Pepto-Bismol TV commercial with the office workers doing the gastrointestinal malady Macarena. And I'm not alone.
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