About Swiss Army Librarian
About Me
As the sidebar says, I am a reference librarian at the Chelmsford Public Library in Chelmsford, MA*, and have been since 2005. I like being a librarian. I've also worked at the Scarborough Public Library in Scarborough, ME, and the Kent State University Library, in Kent, OH, which is where I earned my Masters in Library and Information Science. In addition to information science, I also enjoy reading, hiking, kayaking, knitting, biking, traveling, asking my friend Chris to do things for me, and popcorn. I do not enjoy trying new foods, reality television, drama, cell phones, ceremonies, or traffic. Read more about my activities under the My Activities section below.
*Swiss Army Librarian is not endorsed by the Chelmsford Library or the Town of Chelmsford. I speak for myself, of my own experiences.
To get in touch with me, please use the contact form.
About the Swiss Army Librarian Blog
From 10/2006 to 2/2008, this blog was known as "herzogbr.net/blog" which is a stupid name for a blog. But I was new to blogging, and didn't realize it would stick. In 2/2008, I redid everything, complete with a new name. Mostly, I talk about library-related stuff, but few non-library posts sneak in occasionally (usually knitting, traveling, or whatever else I find interesting).
This work by Swiss Army Librarian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
The current specs for this blog are:
- Platform: WordPress
- Theme: customized greenlove, by Bob
- Plugins: Akismet, Quotes Collection, Customized Recent Comments, WordPress Related Posts, CSS Naked Day, Live Comments Preview (slightly modified),
SexyBookmarks(I stopped using this due to privacy concerns raised by interacting with any social media company) - Statistics: Statcounter.com - nothing fancy, but it works and it's free
Why "Swiss Army" Librarian?
There's actually two reasons for this:
- During my freshman year of college (1992-3), the guys on my floor got together and placed a huge order from the Smokey Mountain Knife Works catalog. I ordered a Swiss Army Knife, and I've carried it with me ever since. I use it all the time, too, to open boxes of tax forms, tightening loose screws (wherever I encounter them), cut away tree limbs from paths when I'm hiking, or let friends trim their split ends during long car rides. Most people who know me have become accustomed to me always having it, and claim it is a major defining feature of my personality.
- If I had to summarize the job responsibilities of a librarian, "swiss army knife" comes pretty close. We've got to be ready to handle any request that comes along, from directing someone to the restroom to researching the propulsion physics behind the space shuttle. Not to mention check books in and out, shovel the walks, design websites, change light bulbs, give presentations, tactfully interact with unruly kids (and adults), balance million dollar budgets, and ensure that everyone has unmonitored access to whatever information or resources they need. Like a Swiss Army knife, librarians need to be ready with whatever tool is needed for the job at hand.
Why the Squares on the Background?
When I was in library school, one class project was to design a website for something we found interesting. I chose to make a minesweeper website (about the computer game). The background is what the game board looks like, and I've just kept it because I like it. I think all the little boxes appeal to my compulsions to categorize and organize things (I am a librarian, after all).
My Activities
Professional Credentials
Presentations/Speaking
- 2013-present
- Very Busy. (but still posting as much as I can!)
- 2012
- Merri-Hill-Rock (NH) consortium meeting, Rethinking Reference
- New England Library Association 2012 Annual Conference, Tech Support at the Reference Desk panel
- 2011
- New Hampshire Library Association Reference and Adult Services Fall Conference, Rethinking Reference
- New England Library Association 2011 Annual Conference, Touch My Junk: Doing Tech Support at the Reference Desk panel; Website Mashups poster session; Using Yahoo Pipes for a Obituary Index poster session
- New England Library Association ITS Spring Workshop, Putting Mobile IN Your Library Website
- Computers in Libraries 2011, Library Mashups: Exploring New Ways to Deliver Library Data
- 2010
- New England Library Association 2010 Annual Conference, Library Mashups Poster Session
- Massachusetts Library Association 2010 Annual Conference, Tech Trends Panel
- Computers in Libraries 2010, Implementing Library Mashups
- 2009
Ohio Library Council 2009 Annual Conference, Library Blogger Panel- canceled- Massachusetts Library Association 2009 Annual Conference, Do-It-Yourself Series - how-to instructional demonstration on incorporating Library 2.0 tools into library websites
- 2008
- New England Library Association 2008 Annual Conference, Library 2.0 for You - panel on practical Library 2.0 uses
Writing (besides this website)
- "Information in Context" chapter of Library Mashups: Exploring new ways to deliver library data, edited by Nicole Engard, published by Information Today, Inc., Fall 2009
- Conference Blogger: NELA Annual Conference 2007, 2008, 2009;2011; NELA Information Technology Section Spring Workshop 2008, 2009, 2010
Committee Work & Special Projects
- MVLC Evergreen Steering Committee
- MVLC representative to Evergreen OPAC design committee, as part of the MassLNC migration
- MVLC Reference Committee, 2006-present
- NELA Information Technology Section, 2007-present
- ALA Reference and User Services Association Technology Task Force, 2008, led by Michael Stephens
Honorable (and Questionable) Mentions
- Salem Press Library Blog Awards "Gold Star" recognition for Public Library blog
- Library Journal 2010 Mover and Shaker
- The Librarian's Book of Lists, by George M. Eberhart - includes my list of 10 Patron Pet Peeves
- This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All, by Marilyn Johnson - mention my work at the Chelmsford Library and this website
- Weird Massachusetts, by Jeff Belanger - featured a few of my photos of Hammond Castle
Books I've Read Recently
Here's what I've recently uploaded to my LibraryThing account:
Pictures I've Taken
Since getting a digital camera, I like taking and uploading photos to my flickr account:
Other Websites I Frequent
- herzogbr.net - my personal site, most of which dates to the late 1990's and really isn't updated anymore
- Bookcrossing.com - I have been releasing books when I travel
- del.icio.us - sites I like and actually remembered to bookmark
- Ravelry.com - a website for knitters (must have an account)
- Youtube.com - some videos I've uploaded
- Library 2.0 on Ning.com - forum for discussing library 2.0 issues