Librarian's Rant

More fun from the folks at AlbinoBlackSheep: The Llama Song. It has a certain Gilbert and Sullivan quality which I like.

"Llama, Llama, Duck!"

Thanks to Peter for the link and the general madness.

Someone (the creator?) sent the URL below via the Comments on my original post about TNT's new movie. I thought I'd share it, as it's a cute sendup: homepage.mac.com/cg6025/tnt_thelibrarian.jpg

Librarians in the Movies: An Annotated Filmography:

This filmography is an ongoing attempt to expand our collective memory, to find a more comprehensive and defensible basis for our acceptance or rejection of the "typical movie librarian" – whatever we think he or she is. It lists about 550 Hollywood (and a few foreign) productions that in some significant or memorable way include a library or librarian.

Thanks to Jannis for the link to the filmography, and also to The Hollywood Librarian, A Look at Librarians on Film:

a documentary film project currently in pre-production. A full-length, feature documentary, this film will explore the history and use of cinematic images of librarians and libraries in American film, and will include interviews with real librarians, patrons, trustees and actors. The film will examine the stereotype of the librarian in contrast to the realities of 21st century librarianship, and will be entertaining as well as educational.

For Hollywood's most recent view of librarians, check out (this coming Sunday, Dec. 5th) TNT's The Librarian: Quest for the Spear. Amusing cast, if nothing else.

Previous posts on the TNT movie here and here.

Seems some folks in Britain didn't get the joke, and called their local libraries looking for get-thin-quick books that didn't exist. Nice to know patrons are gullible everywhere.

Via LISNews.

Some inventive additional disclaimers for science textbooks, modeled after the ones created for Cobb County, Georgia. I particularly liked this one:

This book was anonymously donated to your school library to discreetly promote religious alternatives to the theory of evolution. When you are finished with it, please refile the book in the fiction section.

Thanks to Molly on the LU list.

Seems Dan Rather is stepping down as anchor at CBS Evening News. He's not exactly going out on top, considering the Guard papers mess from the election. Perhaps he was just waiting for Tom Brokaw to go first (he announced back in April)? I've thought Rather was past his prime since Bush Sr. was in office, so don't color me surprised.

"...I Voted For Kerry" is now on t-shirts 'n stuff at cafepress. I'm the tiniest bit amused by the thong...

For your holiday pleasure, the Macy's Turkey Day Parade website.

Here is "Your Daily Moment of Zen": zattevrienden.realroot.be/depanneren.htm

Thanks again, Akeisha. Are you getting ANY work done today?

From gawker.com:

Freemans tuesday night the 16th of nov. the Bush twins along with 2 massive secret service men tried to have dinner they were told by the maitre 'd that they were full and would be for the next 4 years upon hearing the entire restaurant cheered and did a round of shots it was amazing!!! [Ed: We're hearing that this is actually true.]

Thanks to Akeisha (as usual!) for the fun bit of news.

A little alpha dog time at the dedication of the Clinton Presidential Library yesterday. For heaven's sake, George, get over it--everyone will always like him better!

Seems that the Bay City, Michigan library director want to throw the worst library offenders in jail.

One patron from Bad Axe owes $1,190 for 73 items -- mainly science-fiction books -- hoarded for more than a year...

Patrons keep an average of $25,000 in overdue materials out of the library system each year, officials said.

Many libraries are having to go to collection agencies to try to recover funds, the problem can get so bad. Some systems have the sheriff bring notice of legal action to your door. I suppose we need to ask if threatening prison time would be unique to the library? If you owed Blockbuster over $1000 in fees, would you face jail time? (Oh, right, they'd never let it get that far--they'd set their collection attack dogs on you, first.)

I'm all for the idea of putting more emphasis on the real costs of overdue materials, especially those grossly overdue. Citizens (and city councils) need to understand that for every book that has to be replaced due to non-return, that's one less new Nora Roberts or Disney DVD on the shelves.

Thanks to Matthew on LU for the heads up.

Remember the 80's? Remember the sweaters? No? Well, here's a reminder at www.badsweaterguy.com.

Thanks to Jannis. Also on Boing-Boing.

Well, if they didn't mean it, why did they bother? From the NY Times yesterday:

Spurred by an investigation connected to the majority leader, House Republicans voted Wednesday to abandon an 11-year-old party rule that required a member of their leadership to step aside temporarily if indicted.

Meeting behind closed doors, the lawmakers agreed that a party steering committee would review any indictments handed up against the majority leader, Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, or any other members of the leadership team or committee chairmen, to determine if giving up a post was warranted. The revision does not change the requirement that leaders step down if convicted.

...The Republicans' old rule was adopted in August 1993 to put a spotlight on the legal troubles of prominent Democrats. Mr. Bonilla said revising it had been necessary to prevent politically inspired criminal investigations by "crackpot" prosecutors from determining the fate of top Republicans.

...Mr. DeLay said he had not instigated the change. But he applauded it nevertheless, saying it could deprive "political hacks" of an ability to influence the makeup of the Republican leadership.

Republican lawmakers "fixed the rules so that Democrats cannot use our rules against us," he said.

Mr. DeLay said he did not expect to be indicted, but added, "This has nothing to do with whether I was going to be or not going to be.''

Yeah, right. Not all Republicans agreed with the ploy to cover Tom's ass:

"This is a mistake," said Representative Christopher Shays of Connecticut.

When the Republicans gained control of the House in the elections of 1994, "we were going to be different,'' Mr. Shays said.

But "every time we start to water down what we did in '94," he said, "we are basically saying the revolution is losing its character." [emphasis mine]

When are they going to figure out there's a gang of foxes in the henhouse and they're making everyone smell of rotten eggs?

I agree with Alison--it's a crime against literature!