My Day in Design, December 2010

So today I carried my camera around and snapped photos of things that caught my eye. It was really fun, and a great exercise as well - it kept me constantly thinking about the many designs and design elements around me. (It also inspired me to become the proud owner of a Flickr account.)

Here's the best of the bunch! I'm hoping to treat you all to this little bit of self-indulgence about once a month.

(This make take a minute to load.)

Font Hatred

My boss recently sent me a link to this article:
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8451/sign-font-will-affect-perception-of-silver-spring-library/

The shocking conclusion? Font matters! (Gee, do you think?)

But what actually struck me was this quote:
"Please, for the love of Gutenberg, do not despoil the facade of this wonderful new building by setting the 40-foot "Silver Spring Library" sign in Arial," pleaded Brad.

Goodness, what a reaction! But this isn't at all unusual - people who care about fonts tend to care A LOT. Case in point: the unbridled hatred of Comic Sans: http://bancomicsans.com/

Personally, I find this hilarious. I mean, Comic Sans is a goofy font, but I think it's goofy on purpose, so what's wrong with that? Of course, like any type of humor, it's appropriate in some situations and not in others.

Here's an article about why designers hate the font:
http://www.thedesigncubicle.com/2008/12/why-exactly-designers-hate-comic-sans/

And a humorous rebuttal: http://trueslant.com/lewisgrossberger/2010/07/09/you-hate-comic-sans-well-i-hate-you-so-there/

I rarely see a good objection to Comic Sans itself, just objections to its ubiquity and comments about situation-appropriateness.

Which brings me back to Arial. I was surprised to find that while Arial does not have a web page devoted to its destruction, it seems to be just as widely despised.

In fact, I found the objections to Arial much more coherent:

http://martigold.com/designblog/?p=18

My first thought in response to all these objections was "Ridiculous! I don't hate Arial!" But actually, I AM kindof sick of it. I like sans serif fonts for many library applications, but I always find myself looking for another font before I'll go with Arial, especially when it comes to large lettering.

I don't know if we'll ever be able to get away from Arial overuse. It's easy to read and widely available. Also, some of our publications were born using Arial Narrow, and it's been extremely difficult to convince my coworkers to consider changing the font. Sigh.

I'll leave you with this brief article about fonts not to use: http://modernl.com/article/5-terrible-fonts-that-you-should-not-use-in-print-design

Now, I think "never" is too strong a word - I use these fonts sometimes - but I still think it's worth reading the article, being aware of the opinions, and starting to think about your font choices.

Apparently this is a big deal?

So if you're seeing pink everywhere, this might be why.
http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?ca=4&pg=20821

Interlude: What I'm Reading

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

I actually just finished the second book, The Broken Kingdoms. But reading it made me want to reread the first book, so I'm reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms right now.

I'm a huge fan of these books. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms swept me completely off my feet - I was carried away by the story and the characters. At the risk of putting off any male readers, that book has everything a girl could want in a story. Actually, it might be okay if the male readers are put off; I always felt like The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was a distinctly feminine book. I don't mean in a trashy Twilight kind of way - the main character is a great example of a strong female lead - but the themes, the obstacles, and the inner action create the feeling of a story by women, about women, and for women. It's fantastic.

The Broken Kingdoms is only tangentially related, so The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms can stand on its own; you could stop there if you wanted. The second book explores the world and the system of magic in greater detail. Personally, I think the first book is superior, but I still enjoyed the second book, and I'm excited for the third book to appear.

Graphic-Design-Nerd Alert

Warning: these are very nerdy. I've selected some specific articles from some of these, but the entire blogs are worth perusing if you're interested in this kind of thing.

I was laughed at yesterday for saying that I was reading "an interesting article about typography," but I thought this was fascinating. http://ilovetypography.com/2010/11/02/reviving-caslon-part-2-readability-affability-authority

Two great articles from logodesignlove.com. Great information and tips for libraries looking to rebrand.
http://www.logodesignlove.com/negative-space-logo-design http://www.logodesignlove.com/logo-design-tips

More about branding
http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/

Bonus link just for fun!
I am a huge Lego fan, so this makes me happy in so many ways:
http://www.brickworkz.com/gallery/lego-mosaic-dapper-logo.shtml

Hope and Professional Conferences

I didn't go to the Virginia Library Association conference this year. I looked at the list of sessions, and I only saw one or two that applied to my work, so I decided not to go. But I have to say I regret it - not because I missed my chance to "Program like the Beatles," but because I missed my chance to step back from the day-to-day details and be inspired.

It's important to spend some time thinking about possibilities rather than restrictions. We work for the government, so there are a LOT of restrictions, and it's easy to let the environment get you down. Indeed, some of my coworkers come back from conferences feeling depressed: "We'll never be able to do that," they say. "We'd never be allowed." But other people come back energized, and full of ideas about what the library could be. Even though we can't necessarily carry out every idea right now, they're ready to work on intermediate steps, and to work towards their ideal library.

This is a difficult mindset to maintain, but I think it's incredibly important to try. The library will always have to work within the constraints of being a large organization, and part of the county government - that's just the reality. Does that mean we should give up on every making changes and improvements? Of course not. And an important step in making change is setting goals.

It's incredibly worthwhile to brainstorm and daydream, to think about what we could do if we could do anything. Unless we know where we are trying to go, how will we know which direction to start walking? Change may be slow but it is possible, and when someone says "What would you change?" it's important to have an answer.

So let's go to the VLA conference, let's get excited about what other libraries are doing, let's talk about the possibilities. It's the only way we'll ever make progress.

The Future of Libraries

After my last post, you may be asking "Well if you're so smart, where do you think libraries should be going?"

:) Like most library workers, I have an opinion about that and I like to be asked what it is!

I think the future of the library is as a community gathering place, like a gallery or coffeeshop, but better, because it's non-commercial and it belongs to everyone.

And if I were Queen of the Library, here's what I'd do to get us there:

1. Make the library buildings bright, well-lit, open-feeling spaces. Include lots of comfortable seating and workspaces.
2. Merchandising! Like a retail store, we're trying to get people to a) consume our product and b) think we are cool. We need eye-catching attractive displays, and ways to add interest to the uniformity of the stacks. Personally, I like libraries where I see bookstore-style shelving.
3. Designate certain areas as "quiet" or "silent," allowing the rest of the library to be a venue for conversation, meetings, or hanging out. I want people to feel like the library is a place where everyone is welcome.
4. Put a monthly or bi-monthly art exhibit in every library. It gives us some 'street cred' as a cultural venue, it gives us the opportunity to make connections with artists and their communities, and it gives people something new to look at every month. We could work with local artists associations, or with the high school art teachers. (Artist receptions are a must here. They wouldn't have to be fancy but we ought to have them.)
5. Actively fight the "strict, stuffy librarian" stereotype. Be generous about forgiving fines. NEVER act judgemental or accusing when it comes to overdue books. Be nice, be friendly, be approachable. Don't say "ssssh," don't lecture children.
6. Get a Facebook page, and start a blog. Let some personality slip into our public image! Approachability is the key.
7. Encourage volunteers - especially teens, but anyone. Give them other opportunities besides shelving picture books. Have a teen advisory council, have volunteer "computer mentor" sessions or volunteer computer lab attendants. Besides staff, volunteers are the group of people most likely to feel a sense of investment and ownership in the library, and we need that resource! We need people who care, who are willing to help. Let's let them save us.
8. Put a coffee shop in the library. That sounds really nice. (Yes, that also means we'll have to relax the food rules.)
9. Host interesting events. Particularly repeating events; give people a chance to "come every month." A repeating event can develop "a following," giving us the opportunity to work with these existing groups to generate buzz for future endeavors. For instance, your contacts from monthly art exhibits would be a huge help if you were to decide to host a large-scale art show and sale.
10. Create a "yes" mentality for projects and ideas, with the structure being 'bottom-up' rather than 'top-down.' As the new queen of the library, I'd create a clear and concise set of guidelines and directions, and within that give everyone lots of freedom. It's the people who stand on the front line every day who are the best source of information, ideas, and excitement. I want to encourage everyone to share their thoughts, share their excitement, and own their ideas. Anyone who wants to make something cool happen should have an avenue to do so.

So that's my take on the future of the library. I would actually love to hear some other opinions and other plans. What would you do if you were the King or Queen of the Library?

(Seriously, I love to talk about this, so what's your perspective?)

Flailing: Why the Library is in Trouble

Modern librarians live in fear. If you tell a librarian that the internet (or the Kindle) is killing the library, they'll dismiss you, or laugh at you, or get angry, or some combination of the three. And yet, they are terrified. The very fact that we have to constantly shout "We are relevant, we are relevant!" speaks for itself.

So...why are we relevant? Ask a dozen librarians, and you'll get a dozen answers. Computer access! Job search assistance! Fiction books! Storytimes! Reference help! Online databases! Book recommendations! Community meeting rooms! Concerts! Video games for teens! Small business resources! Programs for senior citizens! Friendly, personal service! All library workers (including me) will inform you that libraries are not just about books. Now ask them what libraries are about. In fact, ask the people I work with what our library is about. I don't think you'll get any consistent answers, and therein lies the problem.

We've all got great ideas for what the library could do. We just don't know which ones to focus on. Two years ago we were rebranding ourselves as a cultural center. A year ago, we were raving about the value of libraries to job hunters. Three months ago, we were trying to launch ourselves as the primary resource for small business. The latest issue is Early Literacy.

"But those are all great things," you say. "What's the problem?"

The problem is that this haphazard list of "great things" leaves us flailing. Our ultimate goal is to help people, but we aren't really sure how best to do it. I feel like we're a store that sells car parts, yarn and shoes, with a space in the back for ballroom dance classes. It's the "Whatever-popped-into-my-head Emporium!"

We're flailing, and we need to not be. We need to know where to focus our energies, our event planning, and our marketing. We don't want people to see us as being just about books - well, how do we want them to see us?

Recently, a group at my library began to work on a new mission statement. They collected descriptive words and phrases that they felt applied to our mission. I've seen a part of that list: "Empower," "enlighten", "global citizen." These seem like Dilbert words to me, empty of actual content. If our mission is to empower through knowledge,* what are we talking about? Legal advice? Homework assistance? Helping battered women? Colon health awareness? In my opinion, the whole process needed more time, more thought, and most of all, more direction. Someone who gets paid the big bucks needs to stand up and say "This is what we're doing, this is our focus, this is who we are." They need to be specific and then they need to stick with it long enough to let people form a new image of the library.

Tune in next time to find out my plan for making libraries vital and relevant in today's world! (Most librarians have one, trust me.)

*Not our actual mission statement. Mission statement has been changed to protect the innocent.

Interlude: What I'm Reading

An Artificial Night by Seanan MacGuire
This is the third book in the October Daye series of paranormal mysteries. "Paranormal mysteries?" you say? "Look at those covers! This sounds like trash!" Well, guess what - it's not. I liked book one. But in book two I realized that some serious worldbuilding was going on, and some complex plot arcs were only starting to develop. I find the characters appealing and sympathetic, the stories engaging, and the world richly detailed. That's all I need for a fun read!

A cool website

http://visual.neography.com/
Obviously, the "curator" (as he puts it) has a pretty defined sense of taste. Still, it's a nice collection of work.

To Theme, or not to Theme?

Recently we planned a library party for teens - a sort of a costume party/masquerade. There was a LOT of debate about the theme. Last year we used the official ALA theme for teen read week. This year, wanting to branch out, we discussed a graphic novel theme. Some people loved it, some people didn't care, but what surprised me was that there were some people - people with Power - who really disliked it.

There were several objections: that the theme was too narrow, and that the theme would be a turn-off to people who "weren't interested in that kind of thing."

Now, I really object to the accusation of narrowness, Graphic novels are incredibly diverse. You've got classic comic books, and Elfquest, and a HUGE variety of manga. You've got Gaiman's Sandman, you've got Frank Miller, you've got Craig Thompson's Blankets and Alex Robinson's Box Office Poison.

To me, once you think about the breadth of the genre, the second objection loses its punch, because "that kind of thing" is too unspecific. Also, don't you run that risk with any theme? Whatever your theme is, it's bound to be more interesting to some people than to others.

So should we just proceed without a theme? Many people thought yes. I strongly disagree. Having a theme is absolutely invaluable for a dressing-up event like this. It sparks creativity, inspires costumes and decorations, and provides direction for people who find "dressing up" to be overwhelming. It gives people a path for getting excited about the event - in thinking about the theme, they begin engaging their minds with the event. To a certain extent, they begin the event by already having something in common - their different and varied engagement with the theme.*

We ended up working with a "loose theme" - we used graphic novel elements in the publicity, without saying "This is our theme!" This was challenging, because it was difficult to tie those visual elements to the event itself. The phrase "What mask will you wear?" ended up being really useful and playing a big role in the materials.

The silver lining of these challenges was that it forced us to hold our publicity to a higher standard. Here's why:
Usually, if you're having a program about birds, you put a picture of a bird on the poster, and then people who like birds will think "Oh, what's that?" and come closer, and read the poster. In this case, a picture of a comic book character might not interest your entire audience. There is certainly an overlap - teens and tweens are probably the largest graphic novel audience - but we wanted to still attract interest from teens who could care less about graphic novels. We spent even more time than usual thinking about the main message of each piece, and what information we could convey from a distance.

It was a good exercise. Especially, of course, because you can never really count on your image and look to attract EVERY SINGLE POTENTIAL USER. "What can you see from 10 feet away?" is something we should ask ourselves every single time.

*How do you know all this about themes, Kate?
From leading "Carnival Day" at summer camp. I have quite a bit of experience observing teens at themed events.

Libraries Will Survive

Well, this blog has been woefully neglected, and now all you get is this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AhSxoVmZQs

Warning: this features singing and dancing librarians. It's also a humorous but VERY ACCURATE portrayal of what libraries are going through right now.

Advertising Electronic Resources: What's the Problem?

A week ago, I was asked to start revamping the electronic resources - to come up with a way to "make it so people want to use them." ("Electronic Resources" are the databases that the library subscribes to.)

So I sit down and take a look at the electronic resources page. How should these be organized? Alphabetically? By subject? Actually, we already have them arranged in both those ways. Yet I agree, the electronic resources page is hard to use. What does it need? A better system of visual organization? Different subject categories? My brainstorming was getting me nowhere. I tried picturing myself as a user, visiting the electronic resources page - what would I want to see?

I ran into some trouble at that point: I had no idea what these databases were, or how to use them, or who used them, and for what. I decided to spend a few minutes getting some basic familiarity with this resource. After all, I've been working at the library for five years. I should probably know how to use this service that we're always talking so much about.

FAIL. I spent maybe half an hour trying to figure the bloody things out. I couldn't find a darn thing that seemed even remotely useful or interesting. I'm pretty interested in psychology - specifically evolutionary psychology - and linguistics, and I though maybe I could find some interesting articles to read? Nothing. I tried to think of other things to look up. I went to the kids section and looked up bats; it was WAY less informative than your average internet search. I browsed around, looking for anything that might be remotely interesting. I got absolutely nowhere.

Now, maybe there's something for me in the electronic resources, and maybe there isn't. But how am I supposed to find out?

The problem here, I realized, was not the way the lists were arranged. Adding graphics and visualizations was not going to help. The problem is that most people do not know how to use these resources. I'm a smart, library-literate, net-savvy person. I'm sure that other people are just as confused as me when it comes to the electronic resources, if they ever even venture to that section of the website in the first place.

It's a mixed-blessing realization, because now I'm going to need to find someone to write an "introduction to the electronic resources," along with some user-friendly instructions. I'm pretty sure this will end up looking like a bigger overhaul than my bosses had in mind. Don't be surprised if the only change we end up seeing is some new color-coded organization and a banner advertising a "featured resource." At least I tried.

Interlude: What I'm Reading

"A Princess of Roumania" by Paul Park

Actually, "A Princess of Roumania" starts a 4-part series, of which I am on the third book. It's an interesting story - original in setting, system of magic, and characters. The books possess that rare quality of true unpredictability; I never know what will happen next. People live, people die, people act with honor or stupidity or grace or vindictiveness, and you never can tell what's coming.

My main problem with it is the jumping around between points of view. We don't just hear the story from the major characters; lots of minor characters have passages devoted to their thoughts and feelings. Personally, I tend to be impatient with this writing style - it's as though the author doesn't know how to develop a character except by writing from their point of view.

A secondary problem: I am bored of the villain. When I read the backs of these books, half the praise goes to the villain - how striking, how realistic, how fascinating! You can tell that that's how the author feels, also - Paul Park is completely enamoured of his villain, wants to spend half his pages writing about his villain. But I'm just bored by these passages.

Overall, the books are worth a read, especially if you're interested in speculative fiction.

While I'm gone...

I'm going to take a little vacation, away from all my technology. What's that you say? You need something to read while I'm gone? You got it!

http://www.otismaxwell.com/blog/

http://blog.junta42.com/content_marketing_blog/

Good blogs. That should keep you busy for a while!

The Top Ten Things You Can Say to Irritate Library Workers

Thanks to many librarian friends for contributing to this list!
1. You don't look like a librarian.
Oh? What do librarians look like? This? (Nancy Pearl, famous genius librarian. She has her own action figure.)
Or maybe this?
2. It must be nice to sit around reading all day.
Uh...sure. And computer technicians play computer games all day, park rangers spend all their time on leisurely walks in the woods, bankers just roll around in swimming pools of money, and teachers play with kids all day.

Yeah. That's not what we do.

3. Tell those kids to stop talking!
That's not really our world anymore. Most public libraries aim for an atmosphere of quiet and relaxation, but we're not going for silence. Quiet areas - study rooms or 'quiet floors" - are usually available if you need silence. Outside of those areas, people are free to converse.

4. I guess you charge fines to make money for the library.
Not really. With all the processing that goes into your $2.00 fine, it probably ends up costing us more than it makes for us. The point is that fines provide an incentive for you to return the books.

5. Can you help me sort through these online dating profiles to figure out which ones I should respond to?
No. We're available to provide assistance with the computer, but...come on, man.

6. Have you read all these books? (gestures at entire library)
Time for math class, kids! There's like a hundred thousand books in one of our libraries. If I read two books a week, that's 100 books a year; it would take me a thousand years to get through them. Exactly how old do you think I am?

7. I need this book tonight, my book report is due tomorrow!
Okay, this isn't exactly irritating, but it is a little frustrating - mainly because we want to help you, and in this situation there's often very little we can do. If all the copies are checked out, or if the book has to be brought in from another library, expect it to take at least a couple days, maybe even a week or more, for your book to arrive. We'll do our best, but...you'll get better results if you help us help you.

8. Li-berry
There's an R in there, people.

9. What do you mean I have to wait half an hour for a computer?! I don't have time for this *$%!
It's free, guys. Free internet access and free printing. So, a) don't yell at me, b) are you really surprised that other people are using it too, and c) stop complaining, it's free.

10. Libraries are obsolete because of the internet.
Man oh man, that is the big one. Library workers hate hearing that. (I sometimes wonder if despite their protests, librarians have a secret fear that it might be true, but we won't go into that now.) Here's a link to an article that seems to epitomize that attitude:
http://kdmedianow.com/2010/03/26/library-card-expired/
And here's the lecture you can get from any librarian in response:

The short response: Only if you don't read.

Some people can afford to buy all the books they want. Not me. I read about two books a week. Now, a hardback book costs $20-$25, and a paperback book costs $5-$10, so let's settle on an average cost of $15 per book. At two books a week, let's call it 100 books in a year? That's $1,500 dollars. Now imagine if I had kids! I need my library.

The more complete response: Libraries aren't just about books.

The books are actually pretty important. Anyone who can't afford to buy books for themselves and their children needs the library, especially during the summer. Reading during the summer keeps children from losing educational ground when they aren't in school - there's a measurable difference.

Libraries also provide free internet access, which is important to everyone who doesn't have a computer or high-speed internet access at home. Kids use the libraries for homework. Jobseekers use the libraries to write resumes and apply for jobs online. Many major employers require applications to be submitted electronically - how can we reduce unemployment if the people who can't afford computers can't apply for jobs?

In the library where I work, we like to focus on the idea of the library as a community gathering place, where many different groups of people can come together in a local, convenient, nicely equipped environment. Need a quiet, neutral location to meet a client? Use the library! Need to host an SAT study group? Use the library! Want to hold a book club meeting? Chess club? Quilting club? Business networking society? We're here for you! Want to take the kids to a storytime, or hear a concert, or learn about whaling? The library offers these programs!

Of course, I guess you could just stay at home and talk to people on the internet. Face-to-face interaction is so obsolete now.

Addendum:
Article from the New York State Library about the importance of summer reading.

Interlude: What I'm Reading

The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold

Oh, how I love these books. They're fun science fiction adventures, but way better than average. Bujold has a sense for the vulnerable hero; in the terrifying situations of science fiction, her characters are terrified. You think to yourself, "Yeah, that's what I'd be feeling if I was in that situation." And while dealing with their despair, doubt, fear and weakness, the characters rise to great heights; not with ease, but with difficulty. They're flawed, they make mistakes, but they're good. That's why it's so easy to love them.

This is a great series to sink yourself into. There are a lot of books, and they're all fun. Start with the two-book compilation "Cordelia's Honor." Yeah, I know it looks and sounds like a trashy romance novel, but it isn't. Trust me.

Usage Limits: Why I (Respectfully) Disagree

Recently, my library (like so many others) has experienced a drastic change in our budget. Hard choices were made, positions were eliminated, open hours were reduced, and the materials budget was cut. Accompanying these tragedies were some policy changes:

-The number of items that a customer can check out was reduced by more than half.
-The number of items that a customer can place on hold was drastically reduced.
-Items may not be placed on hold as soon as they are ordered; customers must wait until they have arrived at the library.

I have serious concerns about these new policies, because of the message they send. Setting such newly-stringent limits on usage conveys the message that usage is a burden to us. "Please check out fewer items," we're saying. "Please place fewer holds. Please use us less."

From a marketing perspective, I'm cringing. What kind of thing is that to say to your customers?

"Style" vs. "Design"

Check out this great article I found today:
http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/dialogbox/stylevsdesign/

I was actually looking for an image to make that little crease between facing pages in a book or magazine. What on earth is that called? And of course, how on earth did this article get into my search results? Well, I'm glad it did.

Tiny, Tiny Text; or, Information and Advertising in Library Publicity

I can't even tell you how many times I've had this conversation:

Designer: If we want this to fit on one page, we'll need to cut some of the text.
Librarian: That reminds me, I thought of a few things to add!

Librarians are "Information Professionals." Connecting people to the information they need is part of a library's core mission; it's not surprising that librarians always want to add one more link to the website, one more sentence to the description, one more book to the list.

This is not usually a good idea. Why? Well, in order to answer that, let's talk about the function of whatever-it-is I'm producing for you.

If the purpose of the piece is to advertise something - say, a weekly "teen gaming" activity - then it's important to concentrate on the basics: let people know when and where, and make it look appealing. Now, information professionals usually want to list the games we have available, or include some information about how gaming increases literacy, and maybe some links to some articles. Soon, the flyer is covered with tiny, tiny text. When-and-where is hidden in a mass of other information, and the appeal has been lost. No teen would ever pick it up this document, because it looks like homework - an academic paper, complete with footnotes, crammed onto a half-sheet of paper. Advertising pieces can only EFFECTIVELY convey a bare minimun of information, so choose carefully. Decide in advance what the piece needs to convey, and then limit yourself to those necessities.

But what about informational documents? Actually, the rules remain true. It's equally important to prioritize your content - decide what you must include and what you'd like to include if there's space. You don't want to risk leaving out or obscuring something truly important in favor of something that's only tangentially relevent.

It's also important to remember, when you're making a list of selected resources, that "selected" is a key word here. People don't want to wade through every book in the business section; that's why they need a librarian's help in the first place. By the same token, they don't want to wade through a list of every book in the business section. They need us to narrow our focus so that we can help them narrow theirs.

I hope my librarian co-workers understand this - that when I ask them to trim lists and cut text, I'm not trying to limit the flow of information for the sake of "making things pretty." It's all about function and usability.

I like your style

Some favorites:
Steve Krug, usability expert and author of Don't Make Me Think. His great advice about making websites intuitive can be applied in a much broader context. http://www.sensible.com/
Woot, a deal-a-day site with a great sense of humor. I have a marketing-crush on their copywriter. http://woot.com/
Grand Rapids Public Library turns out some nice print material. http://www.grpl.org/
More locally:
Art 180, Gallery 5, John Tyler Community College (I know, I know, but they've got at least one GREAT graphic designer on their staff. The junk mail they send me ends up on my design bulletin board.)

I am not a librarian.

"Librarian" is a professional title, and in order to lay claim to it one usually needs an MLS (Master of Library Sciences) or more recently an MLIS (Master of Library and Information Sciences). I possess neither of these degrees. So while I work in a library and love it, I am not a librarian.

I work part-time in the marketing department of my county's public library; "Publications and Promotions," we're called. Four people crammed into one small office, with our boss in the office next door.

I don't actually have a marketing degree either, nor journalism, communications, or graphic design. What I have is a Bachelors in English Lit (which I freely refer to as a major in 'Making Crap Up'), a decent eye for design, a comparatively high level of technological deftness, a desire to do good, and a ravenous intellectual curiosity.

Let's see what happens.