Happy National Library Week. I have spent the first day of this nominal holiday on a self-appointed task of telling library advocates on social media that if they’re not using alt text with their images, they’re not actually supporting the full mission of libraries which is to serve everyone. You can join me. For anyone who shares the ALA poster, here’s a Bluesky-length reply that you can just copy and paste.
Alt text: A colorful illustration of the front of a library with a librarian waving to community members outside. A banner over the library reads "FIND YOUR JOY!" Logos for ALA and Library Champions in top right. Text below the illustration reads "Celebrate NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK, April 19-25, 2026"Continue reading “social media is real life, make it accessible”
Image from the San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives, on Flickr Commons
I am late to every technology party, so let me talk about being late to this one. The Apple Watch came out in 2015 and I got mine (a used one, from someone local who had upgraded) for $75 a few months ago. The tipping point for me were two specific things. Continue reading “Finally got an Apple Watch, it’s okay”
I slid into Matt Shearer’s DMs and asked him for a photo to illustrate his Wikipedia page. He graciously provided one.
Wikipedia is one of my hobbies. While I think it might be good to have some offline hobbies, winter is long and I’m really a pathological sharer, so this works for me. Recently, someone replied to a FindAGrave query I’d sent them over two years ago asking for permission to use an image, saying “Yes, please feel free to use that family photograph we shared of George Heron Milne on his Wikipedia page!” and it was as satisfying as finishing a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Hmmm, maybe jigsaws are a good offline hobby? Here’s a loose summary of the Wikipedia work I did this year.
– Uploaded 109 images to Wikimedia Commons, mainly things from Flickr Commons but also a whole set of Vermont state Senators from 1900 which we had in a book at the historical society. (see them)
– Uploaded 8 images to Wikipedia, these are fair use images where an image can’t be added to Wikimedia Commons. (see them)
– Wrote 25 articles, entirely biographies except for one disambiguation page which isn’t really an article. Four of them were for people who live or lived in my small town. (see them)
– Made 682-ish edits.
I did a bit more noodgey editing this year, meaning that I sometimes edited because someone was wrong on Wikipedia (usually because they were editing a page that they had a conflict of interest with, it’s a whole thing). I learned to use a few more tools and continue to do my mostly “lone wolf” thing where I’m not really aligned with a project or work group, I just mainly do my own thing. That thing includes, among other things, adding images of librarians to Wikipedia. I’ve got a list.
Six different libraries besides my local this year. Some of this was for work! It’s been a weird year at my library, a lot of staff changeover and bumpiness but overall some positive new developments.
Kimball (81) – I worked here nearly every week, did a few sub shifts and just came by to get warm and/or visit.
Hartness/Randolph (7) – Decided last year to spend more time here and it was a good decision.
Rochester (1) – I did one drop-in shift here which seems to be my pattern
Groton (1) – Pictured above, gave a talk. Not well attended but was so glad to get to go back to this library where I spent a lot of time when I was first in Vermont
Aldrich in Barre (1) – Stopped by while I was picking up free COVID tests at the state library
State Library in Barre (1) – Got some free COVID tests
Randall in Stow MA (1) – Was visiting my sister and we checked out the temporary library in her town while her main library is getting a serious renovation
