Comments on: my job situation

By: Brad

Brad — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:41:47 +0000

Your spam filter ate my comment! And it was an AWESOME comment.

Anyway, that’s disappointing, sorry to hear that Jessamyn.

The point about counting the wrong things is a good one. I think you should become a freelance librarian. Or sexier: _vigilante librarian_. Outlaw style. Books not crooks.

By: Heather

Heather — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:54:36 +0000

Jessamyn,

So sorry to hear of your current demise. I don’t even live there and you’ve never really met me, but you helped me just by keeping this blog going and posting YouTube stuff about Ubuntu. I hope you move onto greener pastures soon. Chin up, girl!

By: Riven Homewood

Riven Homewood — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:49:02 +0000

I understand your reluctance to stop helping people who call – I do that too for people I’ve helped in the past. It doesn’t hurt to say something like, “I’m not doing that job anymore, but I’ll be happy to help you. I miss doing it – I’m really sorry the funding was cut.” (Unless you feel it’s not appropriate given your particular situation.) People who valued the service may just phone or write a letter and ask that it be reinstated – if nothing else, it will make them aware of the universal funding problems.

By: sarah washburn

sarah washburn — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:53:36 +0000

hi jessamyn,

sorry to hear you’re in a frustrating spot. i admire the work you do, and i hate to see that stymied.

By: Carleen

Carleen — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:46:16 +0000

I’m very sorry to hear this. Despite the few hours you worked that desk, I’m sure you made an incredible impact. Computer assistance is so crucial, especially in communities like this where the divide is so evident. We see it at my library too. We just started offering basic computer courses to the public a few months ago after we finally got the funds to purchase five laptops. The response from the community was amazing…the sign up sheet filled up so fast, we’re booked until January ’09 now.

This was a wonderful service you were offering. I hope things start looking up in the future and they can offer this service again.

By: Kari

Kari — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:20:23 +0000

Crumb-buns~ wrote a big long thing that did not go thru. Anyway shorter and sweeter – The budgets all over are getting so tight. Everything down here in Windsor county is hurting. United Way had to merge with another to keep afloat. Everyone is dispirited. I heard that California is laying off 40000 in the schools: teachers, librarians, nurses. I can only hope for better days after the election. I think we are in for along rough time though.

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:35:37 +0000

What a positive effect you’ve surely had on the 32 folks who mustered up the courage to make themselves vulnerable by asking you for help! If librarians can humanize information or technology that’s something that doesn’t end with the initial transaction. I bet those 32 folks have passed on what they’ve learned from you dozens of times to friends, family, co-workers, strangers, etc. If we’re measuring something, I wish it could be that.

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:14:44 +0000

I’m sorry to hear that this gig has been nixed. That is so frustrating because drop-in classes are such a great way to help people with computer questions/problems. People want help when they need help. They don’t want to register for multiple classes. Last year you posted a video showing two of your drop-in attendees learning e-mail. That really impressed me. It made me realize how much the library profession encourages reaching out to library patrons with Web 2.0 technologies, while not really addressing the huge numbers of our community members who are stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide tracks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of attracting library users with technology, but there are so many people who need help opening an e-mail account so that they can apply for a job with an online application. Unfortunately, grants won’t keep programs like yours running; only library funding will. I’m sure your devoted drop-in attendees told their friends, who told their friends…This is one of the best methods of library marketing. I hope some of your students will write to library administrators and to their local town government offices and let them know how much the program meant to them. It really saddens me that your work with 9 local libraries will simply stop. I’m sure you changed a lot of lives. You will continue to change lives. You do so every time you post to this site.

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:47:55 +0000

I’m really disappointed to hear that your outreach work will no longer be funded. It is incredibly frustrating but not surprising that once again valuable service is not given it’s true value mostly because of the difficulty in accounting for merit that can not be easily “quantified”. I know you have been very helpful to me and to my patrons and I am very grateful.