Best Training for Your Buck

Where can you go to get the best training for little or no cost, get great customer service, and not feel like a dummy? That's right, your local library is the best spot for you. No cost for training for your technological needs, different technology available for you, and much more mean that the local library in this day and age can be the best place to learn new things about technology. Need help with Facebook? Don't know how to email someone? Need to apply for a job? These are just some of the things that your local library can help you with, and the actual list is much much more.

At my library I offer classes on Beginning Internet, Beginning Email, OverDrive, as well as teaching one on one classes in all areas of technology. MS Word/Powerpoint/Excel, Facebook, Email, Job Applications, E-Readers, etc. It doesn't matter what the topic is, you sign up for my class and I teach you what I know. And you get someone who can talk to you in non techie terms to teach you and help you with what you want to know. And what does this cost you? Nothing but your time. Where else can you go and get great help for free almost whenever you need it?

So the next time you or one of your friends needs help with technology and you don't know where to go, head to your local library. Chances are they have someone close to like me working there. And if not, there are a lot of other organizations in your area doing the same or similar things as our library to help patrons learn what the need/want to know.

Customer (un)Support

Today I tried calling customer support for DYMO, which is a label printer company, because the product key that we were given to install the software said it was invalid because it had already been used. Well, knowing that I hadn't installed the printer on any other computer nor had I used the product key before I thought I would call customer support to see what the deal was.

I expected pretty prompt service- after all these companies need customers to be happy to continue business right? Well I was wrong. By a bit. Three calls, two hang-ups and explaining the situation to several people I finally get what I need. Apparently the support part of customer support seems to be misleading. Either that or there idea of support and mine are miles apart.

The only good thing about being on the phone for an hour with these people is when I finally get what I need it's more than what I originally called for. So maybe bitching at the customer service rep does help, but again that seems kinda unsupportive for these guys.

So what I have learned- plan a large chunk of time to get whatever you need, bitch out customer service about their lack of customer service, and hope you get a support/tech person who understands what you need and is willing to help you get it.

Paring the para out of Paraprofessional

If there is one word that I have come to hate in my career as a librarian, it is paraprofessional. Webster defines the word: : a trained aide who assists a professional person (as a teacher or doctor, but it seems that professionals have taken over the word to mean anyone who isn't them (professionals) almost as if creating a caste society within a workplace or professional field.

To me, having worked my way up to the position I have now and done more jobs than a lot of so called "professionals" in the library field, I find the paraprofessional word itself derogatory and offensive to those who work in a professional field yet don't have the degree or credentials that others might. I can only speak from the library and information field, but pick one person who has worked in the library seemingly forever and they will pretty much know how to run the library or at the very least be able to accomplish more tasks then some so called "professionals". Take away a cataloger who has been doing it for twenty years, ten years even and see how quickly the library structure breaks down. Or take away the children's programming aid who has been helping with or running programs for any amount of time and see how quickly parents and children complain. Yet in most libraries these staff members don't have degrees, and by some definitions would be classified as paraprofessionals. Really? If you work in a professional field- whatever it may be- and you do good work, or work hard, or just work at all you should be labeled a professional. End of story. 

This isn't to say that everyone is equal in terms of talent, skill level or hierarchy of the work place. I wouldn't go that far as not every medical doctor is the same, lawyers have different personalities and abilities, librarians seem to focus on specific areas of the library, etc., but I fail to see why we have to maintain this term paraprofessional just because some happen to have degrees or certificates and others don't. In my way of thinking, paraprofessional comes out as sub-professional. You are worthy enough to work in a given profession, yet you are lower class because you don't have a degree in this, that, or the other. 


So lets get rid of this term paraprofessional and start treating those who would be classified this way like the professionals that they are already acting like. And if you don't agree with me feel free to walk up to teachers aids,library assistants, assistants, and others and call them that name to their face. Be warned however, you may not survive the repercussions of doing so. 

Internet Radio, or Pandora how you make my job much more manageable.

If you haven't heard of internet radio, and specifically Pandora then you must be living under a rock or some other area where coolness of the web doesn't reach you. And if you have heard of it then hopefully like me you can understand how freaking awesome Pandora is to help time pass by at work, home, or on the road. Yup that's right, most cell phones now can run Pandora as an app so that we can continue to use the goodness that Pandora is. It's free, with some usage limitation, you select a "station" which is basically an artist, song, or genre that you like and what does Pandora do with that you might ask? Well, Pandora selects for you songs and artists that are similar for your listening pleasure. Yes, that's right, it selects it for you so that you can listen to other artists as well as the one you choose all for your entertainment. Don't like a song you say? Well, click on the thumbs down icon and it won't play that son anymore. Like the song? Then click on the thumbs up and it will play more of those types of songs/artists. Yes, it does work to eventually tailor itself to your listening preferences so that you don't have to listen to crappy songs, bad artists or genres that you don't like. The only downsides are 40 hours of free listening, ads intermittently and the occasional bad song- which can be rectified by clicking on the thumbs down icon. But hey, its free and you can tailor it to your own needs and wants and skip songs which don't do anything for you.

Free music listening that eventually only plays the songs you like? I'll take that and the ads that come with it as listening to Pandora really makes working easier and time go by faster. If you have it, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't then climb out from under the rocks and sign up for it.

The decline of watches, or, how I stopped wearing my watch and embraced my cellphone's clock and other gadgets.

I used to wear a watch. It was a really nice one that my wife bought me and looked really good, and was easy to tell time off of. But, sadly, over time the watch wore out and slowly fell apart to the point that it ceased being useful for telling time and was relegated to being a showpiece. Around this time, I discovered, as I'm sure others have as well, that the cellphone- a truly wonderful and annoying invention- served as a nice time teller in place of a watch. And so, ever since I have dutify relied on my cellphone to serve as my watch and clock to make sure I get to appointments on time, get to work, and everything else I need. To be fair, my wife helps a lot with this as well, so my phone is probably getting more credit than it deserves- but nonetheless it is my watch's replacement.

Today it amazes me that people still wear watches at all due to what cellphones and other mobile devices can offer. Calendars, alarms, reminders, memos, and more can all be accessed from these devices. Granted it can get overwhelming and if your batter dies you're screwed, but what can watches do to compete with this? Look flashy? Blackberries, and newer smartphones have you beat. Glow in the dark? New phones have amazing flashlight capabilities, not to mention the brightness of display screens. Sit on your wrist, or on a chain for pocketwatches? Well, you have them beat there, until cellphone makers make phones so small they won't be a bother on your wrist. Stand the test of time? Well, again watches have got that on your side, for another few centuries anyways. And to be fair, the idea of the watch hasn't changed much over the years, so it has to be doing something right.

Even standing the test of time, I still wear no watch and instead rely on my cellphone to tell me what time it is, and hope to goodness that technology doesn't screw up or that I don't lose it somewhere and not know what time it is. Plus, my phone lets me access the internet, have a flashlight, and play wordfeud among othe things. Can your watch do that? Well, if it can let me know, til then bye bye watches hello expensive technology equipment.

Ties and such

What is it about ties and looking spiffy that make people respect you more and believe what you say more? Is it because we live in a structured society with lawyers,  judges, officials, etc. who wear nice suits and uniforms that we are used to automatically respecting those who look like they are in authority because they look nice? Or is it our brains and way of thinking that when you look at someone haggard looking you think "they can't know what they are doing", or "I'm not listening to that person" compared to someone dressed sharply or to the nines who has the aura of togetherness and authority that we follow them? I'm sure someone somewhere has done a study on this, but it is kind of funny that once someone puts on a tie or dresses nicely, people start to notice you more and listen to you and follow what you do and say. Like all I have to do is put on a tie and start doing my own thing and I'm sure most patrons would believe me without question. "Don't run", "Stop that", "I am the king of Egypt"- with a tie and/or nice outfit you get that respect, well maybe not being the king of Egypt. But people will almost believe you are the king, and will probably think you know what you are doing and saying. Without a tie or nice outfit you are just one more in the sea of humanity, so why should anyone listen to you more then to the next Jane or John in the world.

Or maybe its just me and I'm imagining the difference between spiffy people and non-spiffy people. Who knows?

Welcome

Welcome to my blog The Spiffy Librarian, which will deal with all things spiffy and library related. Join me as I talk about random things, important things, and sometimes maybe nothing at all.