Attempting Elegance

Librarian. Geek.

Yes, you’ve found me out

It’s true. That big chaotic shift I did six months ago wasn’t actually caused by a conflict with a senior librarian. It wasn’t because I wanted to refocus my public identity. It wasn’t to protect some personal data from my professional world.

No, it was because I was covering up for my big secret.

annoyed_librarian.jpgI hope no one is disappointed by the revelation, but I’m the Annoyed Librarian. The AL isn’t Meredith (as if she could be that cranky), or a disgruntled ALA Councilor, or Michael Gorman, or a group of anonymous librarians laughing at us all. It’s me. All this time, just little nearly-anonymous- anyway-because-no- one-knows-who-I-am me.

What, you want proof? You think I can’t be that blunt in my opinions? You think I don’t have that kind of anti-group-think fire in my nature? You think I can’t be that sarcastic that constantly? Then you, my friends, haven’t talked to my husband lately. He’ll tell you. I am not a nice girl. (Except when I am, obviously.) And I’m only revealing this because, given the url of this blog and the thoroughness of the About and Bio pages, pseudonymous blogging goes against everything I believe in, and the headaches caused by that internal conflict were driving me to abuse Sudafed and Excedrine. And that’s kind of upper-induced hysteria is just not good for anyone.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’m going to get back to my real work, intently studying the inner workings of the ALA and mocking the next-big-thing zealots and staunch the-old-way-is-perfect supporters among us while pretending to just be a hard-working collections librarian at a small college in upstate New York.

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Now playing: Counting Crows - Hanginaround
via FoxyTunes

Further commentary here, here, here, here, and here. And elsewhere. We are legion, and even fictional.

November 12, 2007 - Posted by Jenica | I amuse myself, Libraries, annoyed librarian, farce, library blogs | | 7 Comments

7 Comments »

  1. When are you getting your book deal?

    :^) H

    Comment by Heather | November 12, 2007

  2. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

    Comment by Dorothea Salo | November 12, 2007

  3. I read about you (this) earlier today in LJ. Amazing.

    Comment by amy | November 12, 2007

  4. The fact that the Annoyed Librarian is famous is obviously why we’ve all stepped forward to claim our identity. FAME. BOOK DEALS. BLOGGING AS A CAREER. For what librarian is this not the ultimate dream?

    Comment by Jenica | November 12, 2007

  5. He he, have you noticed how many librarian bloggers are posting that they are the Annoyed Librarian? Just to be clear, I have blogged about it as well… :)

    http://talkingbookslibrarian.blogspot.com/

    Comment by Talking Books Librarian | November 12, 2007

  6. Yes, it must be a massive coincidence, since bloggers have never backchannel chatted their way to a movement… ;)

    Comment by Jenica | November 12, 2007

  7. [...] it is I, not this cranky, misguided, and maladjusted band of miscreants, who is the real Annoyed Librarian. And I will prove it with [...]

    Pingback by blyberg.net » It annoys me to just tell you this... | November 12, 2007

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