Wednesday, December 21, 2005

ALA store, Dressing yourself with the

Try to fight the urge to wear clothes from the American Library Association's online store. If you worry that you might go unnoticed as a librarian while outside the library, never fear! Your inability to make eye contact, offer a firm handshake, and carry on a conversation without mentioning how threatened you are by Google should clue people in.

12 comments:

A. Rivera said...

Ok, now you are just overgeneralizing. I don't what librarians you hang around with, but the ones I know can carry a conversation fairly well, usually offer a firm handshake, and can make eye contact. Actually, the whole handshake thing seems to be on decline, but maybe that is just me. I was raised on the notion of offer a firm handshake and look people in the eye. I don't think this is much taught anymore. However, on the clothing thing, you are dead-on. Who the heck wears ALA clothes other than their higher ups and employees? In the libraries I have worked and been to, I have never seen anyone wear any of those things. Not even have a mug on their desk. Now, some of the stuff over at Overduemedia (the guys that put out Unshelved) does look cool.

Anonymous said...

Angel, I think you are being a little sensitive. It's funny, and quite frankly, I can point out at least 5 people at this library who qualify...

Not me, of course. ;-)

Sarah Mae said...

The best librarian clothes are at librariangear.com

Anonymous said...

Or how about the traditional Cats and Books librarian gear?

miriam sawyer said...

I like their wrapping paper though.

Librarian Girl said...

The "Reading is Sexy" t-shirts rock too.

http://www.buyolympia.com/q/Item=readingissexy

I keep saying that the "What Not to Wear" duo or the "Queer Eye" guys need to do a sweep through of an entire ALA conference. Now there's a challenge.

http://librarianwonder.blogspot.com

Norma said...

My favorite was from the old Readmore store:

So many books, so little time.

Anonymous said...

Dalhousie University in Canada makes wonderful shirts.... my faves are the metadata one that is a play on the metamucil (fibre based laxative drink) logo and the "Less shhh, more lush" designs

Anonymous said...

Actually... I just noticed many of their designs are on the librariangear site......

nevermind.....

Anonymous said...

You are right on the mark about fear of Google. Many librarians are not willing to take their non-profit hats off and look at things from a different perspective. Namely, Google is a corporate entity and as such, is going to protect its product from competitors, e.g., AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, etc. Not exactly the same business that librarians are in, is it?

Anonymous said...

I love to wear my Librarian from the Black Lagoon! If she isn't militant and makes kids want to read, who does?

Anonymous said...

To Chuck: LOL!! All of our staff (well, most) carry the various tote bags we receive at conferences every year. So true! What OF the tote bag! I always wonder, what in the hell is so important in that bag they carry back and forth to work every day?