S.s. Librarianship

This week...Mind Grapes: In a rapid fire Mind Grapes, Sam and Alli cover Philippa Gregory books (like The Constant Princess and The Other Boleyn Girl, the steam indie game Catlateral Damage, and Travis McElroy and Brent Black's (Brentalfloss) new podcast Trends Like These. We then engage in a lengthy discussion of the magnum opus that is Mad Max: Fury Road because it was awesome and beautiful and nothing hurt.Where Do We Put This?: One of the major trends that we learned all about during library school was the Maker Space. What is it? What does it do? What is its utility? Alli was never totally convinced by the idea, but what if the maker space focuses on the creation of digital objects instead of simply physical ones? The Vancouver Public Library's new Inspiration Lab (not innovation lab, inspiration space, or innovation space) embodies the idea of a digital maker space. Sam has been working in the new space for the past month and tells us all about the space, its facilities, its programming, and its hopes a

This week, on a very special LIVE! episode...We had the great pleasure of moderating a panel on the intersections among different library professionals at this year's British Columbia Library Conference. It was a fascinating, frank and inspiring conversation, and we're glad to be able to bring it to you. Watch for a similar panel at the upcoming CHLA Conference.Voices you'll hear:Christina Neigel is Associate Professor in the Library and Information Technology Department at the University of the Fraser Valley. She is currently completing a Doctorate in Education at Simon Fraser University with a research focus on the role of gender in LIS leadership.Pat Cumming is the Information Services Department Head at West Vancouver Memorial Library. She holds a Library Technician Diploma from Algonquin College in Ottawa and an MLIS from the University of Western Ontario. Her career in libraries spans more than 30 years and includes work as a library technician, librarian and departmental manager. She has experience in

This week...Mind Grapes: We're all compliments with our TV shows. Sam's been catching up on the surprisingly amazing sixth season of Community. Dan Harmon is back in all of his glory, making the season sweet, funny, and totally weird. Alli has been watching Rob Thomas's wonderful new program iZombie and has another new TV crush. Don't worry Charlie Cox, I still love you.Class Z(ed): For the past several weeks, Alli's mind has been steeped in the newest document from the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. It's certainly an interesting read, but it does have some challenging ideas and perhaps a more challenging implementation strategy. Is your institution putting it into practice? Tell us how!Links: Community Season SixiZombieVideo Game High SchoolFreaks and GeeksFresh Off the BoatThe Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education - Association of College and Research LibrariesA Roadmap forAssessing Student Learning Using the New

This week, with special guest Jon Newell, GM extraordinaire...MIND GRAPES: OK, so yes, we each talk about a thing - but this week's grapes are about 75% Daredevil, which Alli loved for more than just Charlie Cox's abs, she swears. Also Jon just binge-listened to Serial, and brings us up to date on the case. Plus Sam is really into Backstrom - maybe a little too much.NERD ALERT!: What's the deal with being a Dungeon Master? If you want to run a tabletop roleplaying game for your friends (or to make friends!), where should you start? What can you expect from the experience - and from the players? And would it make a good library program? Jon's the veteran DM, having run a dozen or so RPGs; Sam's the neophyte, being in the midst of running her first; Alli has played in both. LINKS:Tabletop Roleplaying Game (RPG) systems we mentioned:FateDungeons & Dragons (currently in its 5th edition)Pathfinder (the system Jon used to run our campaign)Decipher's Coda system (the system Sam is currently using)OsricLamentati

This week...Mind Grapes: Sam has been doing some reading inbetween a re-watch of Downton Abbey. In a similar vein, we discuss her reading of Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day and discuss some of our other favourite upstairs/downstairs things. Alli has been playing BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins and is loving it. We talk about BioWare's amazing attention to story and character as well as some awesome adventure games for the non-combat inclined.Class Z(ed): We have had some great interviews with our recently graduated friends about their first jobs out of school. This week, that spotlight turns to Alli as she discusses her first few months as the Instructional Services Librarian at a local community college. We talk about some of the job duties, keeping up with instruction trends, and working with a small group of amazing colleagues.Links: Remains of the Day - Kazuo IshiguroMakers - Cory DoctorowBioWare (the company)Dragon Age: OriginsMass EffectBaldur's GateAwesome Adventure Games:The Secret of Monkey IslandG

This week with special guests Kathryn Moench and Adena Brons...BiblioFiles: We have a whole episode today discussing one of the latest popular representations of librarianship in media, TNT's series The Librarians. Following the made-for-TV movies, The Librarians follows newcomers to the magical library that contains the world's remaning magical artifacts. But how well does it do? We have Adena for a fellow librarian/archivist perspective and Kat as our architecture expert and library layman. Is The Librarians really about librarians? Let's decide that together.Links: The Librarians | Trailer#BlackOutDay Masterpost - What Whites Will Never Know

This week, it's the JoCo Cruise recap you've all been waiting for...Mind Grapes: Sam says Yes, Please to Amy Poehler's memoirs; Alli thoroughly enjoyed the colourful zaniness of Kingsman: The Secret Service.Nerd Alert!: It's finally that time - Sam recaps her experiences on JoCo Cruise 5, talking about the performances, the activities, and the people that make it such a special trip and remarkable community.Links:JoCo Cruise 5 (includes full performer lineup)Photos from JoCo Cruise 5 by the talented Steve Petrucelli and Atom MooreJohn Scalzi's summary of the weekGavin Verhey's incredible JCC5 adventure (it's long but very worth reading)Greg Benson's JCC5 vlogsSome Sea Monkeys who make awesome things (there are so many more than this!):Adam SakHello, the FutureLooney LabsSara ChicazulMystery BrewingThom Robertson's ArtemisA few videos of JCC5 performances: everyone grooves to "Mandelbrot Set" on the first day - quite possibly JoCo's nerdiest - and prettiest - songPaul, Storm, and John Roderick perform "The Aul

This week, on a classic two-man episode...Mind Grapes: Sam and Alli have a very movie heavy couple of weeks. Sam talks soapboxes and lack of soapboxes with the newest version of Annie and the freshly snubbed film Selma about the civil rights movement. Alli talks The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, the latest Hunger Games movie, and touches briefly on Into the Woods.Where do we put this?: So, no surprise, we have been very, very busy. So how to we keep track of all that? What are our personal organization systems when it comes to balancing work, social lives, D&D games, and many other commitments? Alli talks about the pen-and-paper system that she's been trying out in the form of the Bullet Journal. Sam discusses the difficulties in finding programs that do everything we want them to when it comes to organization. Get it touch - how do you keep your life together?Links: Annie | TrailerSelma | TrailerThe Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies | TrailerHunger Games: Mockingjay Part I | TrailerInto the Woods | Trai

This week with special guest Robert McLelland...Mind Grapes: Alli's been getting back to some older, yet awesome, T.V. with back episodes of Leverage. Robert's been getting some awesome indie game action with Year Walk. Inspired by her interview with Writers and Company, Sam reads the late P.D. James's most recent book Death Comes to Pemberley. Class Z(ed): We continue our series of interviewing friends who have just gotten their first jobs out of school, but this time, with an awesome twist! Our dear friend Robert McLelland completed a Masters of Archival Studies at the University of British Columbia this spring and has landed an awesome first job as a local community archivist. He tells us a bit about the differences in the job hunting process, some of his day-to-day work, and how the degree in Archival Studies has shaped and informed his view of the profession.Links: Leverage | TrailerYear WalkDeath Comes to Pemberley

This week on our annual top ten...Mega Mind Grapes! We go through the top ten things we loved this year. The only caveat - it had to be made this year (or be a series that continued into this year). Jon also drops in to give us his rapid-fire top ten (it's mostly horror video games). We also do a part of a year-end quiz that recaps our year and gets ready for the new one.Links: The Art of Asking - Amanda PalmerSpoils of Babylon Hyperbole and a Half - Allie BroshRavelryThe Grand Budapest Hotel | TrailerEpic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards - Duel at Mt SkullzfyreLast Week TonightThe LEGO Movie | TrailerCaptain America 2 | TrailerNight Vale: The LibrarianGuardians of the Galaxy | TrailerDays of Future Past | TrailerIra Glass on tourWhen Women Stopped Coding - NPR's Planet MoneyOne Christmas at a Time - John Roderick and Jonathan CoultonThe Good WifePride | TrailerThe Birdman | TrailerAgents of ShieldSecrets by Mary LambertAll About That Bass by Megan Trainor 

This week...Mind Grapes: Alli is all about voiceover, having watched both the documentary I Know That Voice and Lake Bell's In a World. Having finally gotten to see Gone Girl, Sam is on a Gillian Flynn kick, reading Sharp Objects and Dark Places.Class Z(ed): Last week, we attended a talk given by Michael Vonn of the BC Civil Liberties Association regarding a change of policy in VPL's Internet Use Policy that prohibits the viewing of "sexually explicit materials" on library workstations. While they have some good explanations, we discuss our own opinions (and certainly not those of our employers) why the problems with this policy may run deeper than they look.Links: I Know That VoiceIn a WorldGone Girl (film)Sharp Objects - Dark Places by Gillian FlynnThe BC Civil Liberties Association

This week...Mind Grapes: We are warming hearts all around. Alli talks about Pride, a lovely British film about a group of gay and lesbian Londoners who helped support a Welsh mining town during the 1980's miners strike. Sam is binge-watching the family dramedy Parenthood - by her account a fairly accurate portrayal of realtionships between adult siblings, their parents, and their children.Class Z(ed): One of the major duties of the new librarian is to serve many shifts on the reference desk or working in information services. We talk a bit about the differences we have been finding between the public library and the academic, some challenges we weren't prepared for, and why we think information services are vital and often overlooked.Links: Pride - TrailerParenthood

This week...Mind Grapes: Glowing recommendations all around today. Sam extols the virtues of the new movie Birdman starring Michael Keaton, and it sounds like an amazing commentary on the super hero genre mixed with innovative cinematography. Alli has been getting into Canadian journalism through the podcast Canadaland, produced by Jesse Brown. Both are work checking out for sure.Where Do We Put This?: In a very special conversation, we recap a recent opportunity to discuss the future of libraries and technology with author and activist Cory Doctorow. In this amazing but brief encounter, VPL library staff and Doctorow ingaged in an enlightening and inspiring conversation that get us super riled up about technology, the changing nature of library collections, and how to better connect with our patrons through information literacy and digital literacy education. Please let us know what you think about all these extremely important developments!Links: Birdman | TrailerCanadalandCory DoctorowWikipediaTwitter

This week with very special first mate Mary Jinglewski...Mind Grapes: A well rounded mind grapes today, we have a play in the form of Educating Rita, Mary's been watching the new show Jane the Virgin, and Sam has been catching some of the extensive backlog of CBC's Writers and Company.Class Z(ed)/Where Do We Put This?: For the last few months, our first mate Mary has been acting as a Community Representative for the Digital Public Library of America. This amazing organization aggregates collections of freely available totally awesome collections from around the U.S. while advocating for freedom of information, open source, and creative commons licensing. They also offer opportunities to create apps for their collections - how cool is that? Currently they are also running a GIF contest! Create GIFs using the DPLA collection and submit them here!Links: Educating Rita by Willy RussellJane the Virgin - trailerWriters and Company with Eleanor WachtelDigital Public Libraries of AmericaApp LibrarySchuyler Lindberg's

This week...Mind Grapes: It's all shows this week, both in the form of the new-time podcast in the form of old-time radio, Thrilling Adventure Hour, and Shonda Rhimes' new melodrama vehicle How to Get Away with Murder. We also discuss some recent articles about Shonda Rhimes and our love of Bradley Whitford.Class Z(ed): It's a new job checkpoint. A couple of months ago, we walked you through our job hunting process when we both got our jobs. Now, a month or so in, we tell you a bit about auxiliary work at a public library and doing reference at the academic. What have we learned so far and what skills are we using the most?Links: Thrilling Adventure HourHow to Get Away with MurderDoors Open Vancouver 

This week, with very special guest Nadia Stennes-Spidal...Mind Grapes: We are all doing reading, whether in hardcover, audiobook, or web serial. Sam suffered some disappointment in We are Not Ourselves. Nadia has had her nose in her phone reading Worm. Alli's commute has been accompanied by the audiobook of The Maze Runner and lunches by American Gods. Class Z(ed): Nadia is a real MLIS success story. A little over a year after graduation, Nadia tells us all about her amazing job as the Academic Technologies Librarian at Mount Mercy University. She tells us about the tech and people she works with and what skills gathered at library school has served her best in the professional world.Please rate and review us on iTunes, buy buttons from our wonderful store, donate to our show, or share us with your librarian or nerdy friends!Links: We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew ThomasWorm by John McCraeThe Maze Runner by James DashnerAmerican Gods by Neil GaimanThe Townsfolk Project by Bronwyn McIvor and friendsMount Mercy

This week, with very special guest Jennifer Lee..Mind Grapes: Alli enjoyed some end of summer live entertainment with Bard on the Beach's production of The Tempest. Jen gets an advanced look at If I Stay. Sam remains inspired by the Book Camp authors and reads The End of East by Jen Sookfong Lee.Class Z(ed): Jen and Sam were the leads for Vancouver Public Library's Teen Writing and Book Camp this year. They talk about pulling off a week-long event for over 100 tweens and teens, the challenges of large-scale planning, and the rewards that come with creating a unique, safe, and creative space for a group of talented and enthusicastic young writers.Please rate and review us on iTunes, buy buttons from our wonderful store, donate to our show, or share us with your librarian or nerdy friends!Links: Bard on the Beach - The TempestIf I Stay by Gail Forman - Movie TrailerThe End of East by Jen Sookfong LeeWe Are Not Ourselves by Matthew ThomasVancouver Public Library Teen Writing and Book CampTeens at VPL InstagramWr

This week, with special guests Melanie Cassidy, Jonathan Kift, Anna Ferri and Matthew Murray...Mega Mind Grapes: It is our one year anniversary!! How exciting! We have an amazing round-table mind grapes for you today that includes some return guests and one new voice (that will, surely, be on again). The prompt we gave was "tell us something you have done or discovered in the last year" and we got some fantasic discussion ranging from adult digital literacy education to Star Wars: The Clone Wars.Get in touch with us and tell us what you've fallen in love with this year!Also, please rate and review us on iTunes, buy buttons from our wonderful store, donate to our show, or share us with your librarian or nerdy friends!Links: Kate Atkinson                Case Histories                Life After LifeThe Morning News Tournament of BooksUBC Learning ExchangeAvatar: Th

This week, with special guest Constance Shepardson...Mind Grapes: Sam's been reading Susin Nielsen's absorbing, overlapping tales of Vancouver teens after catching the YA bug at Book Camp; Constance is all about Oscar Wilde right now, including big works and small, and reminds us of the nuance lost in some modern adaptations; Alli - in fact, all of us - LOVED Guardians of the Galaxy, but can see where it could have been even better.Where Do We Put This?: Constance is here to tell us about bringing steampunk into the library. She's developed a toolkit for creating library displays, programs, reading lists, and even educational content for kids and adults related to the genre, aesthetic, and attitude of steampunk. Visit the Steampunk Library, email or tweet at Constance, or check out some of the steampunk works she suggests, including Soulless by Gail Carriger, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, The Gentlemen of Steampunk by Evan Butterfield, and the Steamposium convention, where she'll be appearing next month!

After a longer hiatus than usual, we're back with an ALA recap and some book recommendations for you all. DISCLAIMER: we know the audio is wonky on this one - the audio setup at our guest's end wasn't the best, and we also neglected to ask him to wear headphones to prevent echo. Unfortunately the reverb is in the raw recording, so there's nothing we can do this time - but we thought this was such a great conversation, we wanted to bring it to you anyway. Listen to it on low volume and it shouldn't be too intrusive! Mind Grapes: Alli's jumped on the Divergent train; Jason's been rediscovering critical works on an old favourite, Lord Dunsany; Sam's been rooting for the girl supervillain in The Girl Who Would Be King. Class Z(ed): Our good friend Jason Korff attended this year's American Library Association Conference in Las Vegas, which included appearances by Lois Lowry, Lemony Snicket, and even Stan Lee! He's here to talk to us about his experiences as a new librarian attending our largest professional gather