"Vendor values aren't librarianship values" Understatement of the century

Happy May Day to my late husband’s union (IATSE Local 2), who stepped up in his final days 10 years ago in every imaginable way. Made a print documenting this at the time. This is a reversed snippet.

happy May Day and happy Friday, precursor to the weekend, for some a time of rest, thanks to the organized efforts of workers.

'But how "subversive" is May Day? It just happens to be the most American holiday we have. It was brought into being in 1886 by the Chicago workers, in their struggle for the eight-hour day. Remember their slogan: "Eight hours of work, eight hours of sleep, eight hours of recreation!"' --Howard Fast

I want to collaborate with others on a project to write a tarot cataloging guide.

My professional goal for the future is to not write or present about object cataloging. I need a book-related topic. (I will also happily info dump about tarot cards.)

Did anyone here attend the “Keeping It: Realia in Research Collections” at RBMS 2025? I am on a similar panel for RBMS 2026 and want to make sure that I’m not repeating past presentations.

We report: the moon again, now only a few days away from revealing itself completely. The swifts are flying in and out of a swarm of midges, and later, we see a bat as well. The evenings feel more and more alive and busy, like we are missing out when we go to sleep.

I’m so bored with Duolingo, but I have maintained a streak for many years. Every evening I unhappily speed run a lesson. I am no longer learning.

ukiyo-e print colorant analysis - very cool site i just stumbled across. posting it here to bookmark cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e...

I don’t know how long I’ll be able to afford my current place, but I appreciated sitting in my guest room/office and drawing for a while after work today. Having space to create and decompress makes a difference in my life.

found out about the manga kuma gurashi which is like those ones where a manic pixie dream girl comes into a salaryman's life and starts doing all his domestic chores for him to heal his heart except in this one it's a realistically drawn bear and the salaryman is terrified on every single page

Last night in library stress dreams: I dreamed that it was Christmas Eve day, and the archivists were overwhelmed. They had to take care of a gorilla, an alligator, and a classroom of 1st graders because they were the only staff still on campus.

What I love most about my new apartment is that my day starts and ends with birdsongs. By next year, I’ll be effortlessly birding by ear.

I know lithographers who use consistent typefaces, and they're all cowards.

I woke up randomly angry that RDA is not an open cataloging standard

with the news about Hampshire College closing, I've seen some wondering about the Eric Carle Museum; they're independent. Below, the letter they have sent out.

Daily bunny no.3285 made it home safely

New edition 📚 "Of One Blood: Or, The Hidden Self" written by Pauline Hopkins Intro by Minister Faust via MIT Press #Lit #BlackSky mitpress.mit.edu/978026254429...

Thought you guys might be interested in this Apollo 17 sizzle reel from 1973 - the last moon mission prior to Artemis! Captured by NASA, preserved and made available by @archive.org! archive.org/details/Apol... #NASA #artemis #artemisii #democracyslibrary

We report: the sun now sets well into the evening again. It will rise in the early morning, so that the rest of the day, bracketed in between sunrise and sunset, may know daylight throughout. The mid-afternoon sunsets already seem distant to us, though they were mere months ago.

The NASA Twitch livestream has chat enabled, and every time I look at it, I understand the desire to be as far away from Earth as possible.

Because I take my fashion inspiration from Ms. Frizzle, today I am wearing my moon phases dress. Giving a nod to what is happening in space and to my presentation on “moon-shaped windows”.

“Copy Moon joy” #Artemis

I was feeling confident about Monday’s presentation until I learned 1) how many people registered and 2) that some attendees are mean in the chat. Now I’m worried.

I like printed books

New from me on ACRLog, Supporting Library Workers Who Have Lost Their Jobs. If you don't know what to say or do when your coworker or colleague gets laid off or fired, here's a list of action items. 📚 acrlog.org/2026/03/21/s...

Cheers to shadows and artists who include them.

It’s the #VernalEquinox which means: SPRINGTIME (1929)! 🌦️🐸🕷️🪾 🌱 The first in the seasonal Silly Symphonies cycle, it entered the #PublicDomain last year. Coming soon: SUMMER, AUTUMN & WINTER (1930). ☀️🍂❄️ 👀 Watch the full short ➡️ archive.org/details/spri... #equinox #Spring #InternetArchive #Disney

If you know where to look, every now and then you can spot a slightly older Boston lurking.

The Grolier Club has digitized the meeting minutes of the Hroswitha Club! The Hroswithians were a group of women collectors not allowed in the Grolier Club. These minutes are a treasure trove, and Im thrilled to see them digitized and not in my phone anymore! www.grolierclub.org/Default.aspx...

We report: new moon on a clear night. Since the last time we saw the stars like this, a lot has changed. Some of them are gone, new ones have appeared. We ought to remember what spring constellations look like, but we barely do. It is too cold to try and jog our memory tonight.

Encouraging your library associations which post jobs to strongly encourage and/or require a pay/salary range in the job posting. It wastes people's time to apply for jobs that won't support them (as many library jobs don't) and it's an equity issue.

as always,

I'm planning on writing a blog post about how to support laid off library workers. I'd be excited to hear your ideas or examples! 📚

Today is my job offer day anniversary 🥧

I submitted a NACO record for the first time yesterday. I feel like an official cataloger now.

Back home where we belong, looking up in the Cultural Center.

Cultural Data Science – An Introduction to R A hands-on guide to digital methods in image-based humanities, combining quantitative and qualitative analysis for a global DH audience. Order now: link.springer.com/book/9783031... Promo code: SPRAUT (20% off) #DigitalHumanities #RStats #DataScience

Many are the repositories whose digitized collections are held together by paper clips & twine paid for with an uncertain budget that may not get renewed in the next fiscal year because there’s long been a zeal to “just” digitize things but not to invest in their careful documentation & maintenance.

Thanks to all who expressed such affection for and interest in Amherst Books, now for sale. For those of considering making an offer, I found the asking price: $400,000 Amherst Books (Amherst, MA) For Sale - New England Independent Booksellers Association www.newenglandbooks....

Cataloguers, do you have any recs about where I can get a sense of the landscape of the field? What % of original records come from what orgs, what the balance of copy v original cataloguing is done at different kinds of institutions, etc.? NOT looking for info about MARC, RDA, or other standards

move slow and repair things

One fish, two fish.

New & nice in Puerto Vallarta.

I'm told that the East Coast of the US (including Boston) will experience a rare event, the selenelion when the rising sun and the setting moon will be visible at the same time, at around 6 AM Tuesday March 3. www.wcvb.com/article/rare...

I'm going to start citing Bowers whenever I'm asked to produce a timeline for a grant application.

At the Pru yesterday I watched one group of kids riding bikes, and then another group riding skateboards. There was also a board game meetup in one of the open seating areas. We really need indoor non-consumer spaces, and spaces where young people can just be.

The Full Moon this month is known as the Worm Moon. The Spring soil is warmer & earthworms start to appear. (Astronomical diagram of the Worm Moon in orbit, by Richard Scarry, 1970s)