"I don't make the rules"

Well, I've received my consignment of bookmarks promoting the new ABC television show, The Librarians, subtitled "a wicked new chapter in comedy." I have also seen several promotions for the show, which starts on 31 October at 9.30 pm.

I think we are starting to get something of the flavour of the program now. It is a comedy, and the ABC has done some great comedies. It does play on stereotypes, and we are going to have to live with that, and respond with some non-stereotypical images. I suspect that we may find that some of the elements of The Librarians are unsettling because they are true, and that can't do us any harm. The bookmark bears a picture of Frances, the chief librarian, and a quote from her - "I don't make the rules." Get one now.

Lapsed

I have been noticing a large number of people who say to me "I would of voted for you, but my membership has lapsed ..." as if it were something over which they have no control. I think if I were to form an ALILA (Australia Library and Information Lapsed Association) it would be a large club. What can we do?

I guess that a significant task of the ALIA Board is to ensure that ALIA membership is strong and growing. In fact, I have been looking through the ALIA 2007 plan and membership growth is there at the top. But how? The strategies in this bit of the plan are communication and marketing, and "provide services and activities that members value."

What do you think? Why are lapsed members lapsed?

Another thought from Valerie Johnson's book on childrens' librarianship. She quotes John Levett: "The fate of all libraries in Australia in inexorably linked to the success or failure of the public library and this is bound up with the education and performance of its managers and senior professional staff." (Johnson, p.134) John was writing about the education of public librarians, and it is a debatable statement, but interesting.

Public librarians, at the risk of starting yet another theme on this blog, is this true?