Project Brand Yourself A Librarian

8bitlibrary.com is now located at 8bitlibrary.com

2 months ago

by JP in #libgaming chat, #libuncon, #makeithappen, 8Bit Contributor Andrea Davis, 8Bit Contributor Beth Gallaway, 8Bit Contributor Bob Keith, 8Bit Contributor Brandon Robbins, 8Bit Contributor Buffy Hamilton, 8bit Contributor Chris Murray, 8Bit Contributor Craig Anderson, 8Bit Contributor Dianna Leighton, 8Bit Contributor Doug Baldwin, 8Bit Contributor Erin Mischak, 8Bit Contributor Jodie Borgerding, 8Bit Contributor Julie Jurgens, 8Bit Contributor Kurt Schulitz, 8Bit Contributor Laverne Mann, 8Bit Contributor Toby Greenwalt, 8Bit Contributor Tom Bruno, 8Bit Contributor Val Forrestal, 8BitLibrarian Allen McGinley, 8BitLibrarian JP Porcaro, 8BitLibrarian Justin Hoenke, adult, advocacy, ALA DANCE PARTY, Android apps, child, collection development, display, drinkup, event, family, friend, Game On! Program, goodbye sweet prince, iPhone Apps, IRL (in real life), link, list, literacy, marketing, meetup, mobile, news, Pax East 2010, photography, programming, Project Brand Yourself A Librarian, review, Storytelling, SXSW, teen, The First Day of the Fourth Month, Video, web 2.0

HEY 8BITLIBRARIANS,

So, you are reading this on the OLD 8bitlibrary.com. 8bitlibrary.com no longer redirects here (to blog.8bitlibrary.com). Here’s JP’s “farewell” post to the blog…but first, some nostalgia…

In 2009, JP Porcaro and Justin Hoenke met for drinks and found out they were both ALA Emerging Leaders for the upcoming year. Our bromance continued with daily IM chats until Justin one day said:

Let’s start a librarygarden of gaming.

So, we did. We really started taking off and getting hits when Justin made a joke on twitter:

Let’s all get library tattoos.

And I was like, YEA LET’S DO IT. And that’s how this whole thing happened…Justin & I would brainstorm crazy ideas, and if they were just crazy enough to work, i’d #makeithappen. So we started Project Brand Yourself a Librarian, librarians shared it like crazy, and a bunch of librarians got tattoos.

So from the very start, within weeks, we strayed from the original “library garden of gaming” idea.

We came up with other crazy ideas and made them happen:

ALA DANCE PARTY (and other parties like the NJLA ones and the ACRL Social)
#TeamRock8
The Adventures of Flat Justin
Think Tank (which grew into ALA Think Tank, facebook’s largest active group of international ideas-sharing for librarians)
Cranky Kong, librarianship’s oldest blogger.

We also had lots of fabulous contributors, almost all the top names in the field of “gaming in libraries” either wrote for us or were considered part of the team.

And then we shifted from crazy ideas to more traditional ones:

We ran the petition to start a the ALA Comic Book & Graphic Novel Member Interest Group, and with the help of everyone who sent in an online signature, we made it happen at ALA Mid Winter 2011.
We ran National Unconference Day ’11, a hybrid online & in-person conference. We had fabulous lightning talks at it by Michael Stephens, Jaime Hammond, and Eli Neiberger.
We became the largest active source for game reviews for librarians, and eventually lead the charge to make GameRT a reality.
We hosted Retro Gaming Days all over New Jersey.
Got involved in Buy India a Library.
Launched #makeithappen and inspired MIH.
Launched #libgaming (which has since died, sad sad…)
We ran webinars.

In our heyday, we were getting about 4000 clicks a day (which is BIG for library blogs), and alexa.com had us listed as one of the highest trafficked library blogs. The only blogs that were getting higher traffic at the time were the ‘official’ ones; the LJ, SLJ and some of ALA ones…

Lots of success here in a short period of time, maybe moreso than any other library blog. So why did we let blog.8bitlibrary.com “die”?

All of our contributors are doing other things.

We all got busy. 8bitlibrary lead us to publication deals, speaking gigs, new jobs, and new leadership opportunities. Now that GameRT exists, we have a more formal place to do our gaming-in-libraries work.

Blogging is boring.

We should have figured out from day 1 that blogging was not what we were about. We were a successful BRAND, but never a good BLOG. All of the successes I listed had more to do with 8bitlibrary as a brand, and less to do with blog.8bitlibrary.com.

WordPress sucks.

The blog was constantly marred by slow load times, login problems for contributors, and errors on the user and contributor end. Anyone who was a frequent contributor knows what I mean when i say “500 Internal Server Error”

We have better places to “publish”

Blogging is NOT publishing. We’ll get some game reviews actually published via GameRT hopefully soon!

SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE 8BITLIBRARY?!

When Justin posted this on the new 8bitlibrary.com, people FREAKED out (they though we were killing everything, the facebook page, the twitter, the tumblr (which is now the main site) and the blog) and I had to write this.

Where we’re left without the blog is where we always belonged: as the party people of librarianship. So we’re still gonna do all the stuff we used to do, like ALA DANCE PARTY, Project Brand Yourself a Librarian, and all the Think Tanks and subsequent parties…but we won’t have to worry about keeping up this illusion that we’re a “professional” library blog.

We’re still here.

#partyhard and #makeithappen,

#makeithappen out with the old in witht he tumblr when we come to party we will party hard

PROJECT BRAND YOURSELF A LIBRARIAN: Lauren Comito

8 months ago

by JustinLibrarian in Project Brand Yourself A Librarian

Getting your first 90 day layoff notice bites. There are so many things that run through your head, and sitting at the reference desk you certainly have enough time to think about them. It was during one of these self pitying “what do I do now” reference desk hours that I created the image. It was my way of saying we won’t be shushed, you can’t shut us up, we won’t stop protesting until all of our branches stay open. Then the whole thing went a little nuts, and all of a sudden I’d taught myself to screenprint, broken my mom’s dryer, andcovered the trees in my mom’s yard with tshirts. The We Will Not Be Shushed attitude and image hit a nerve with us at Queens Library, and we fought like crazy. We had 400 people show up at city hall, we stayed up all night reading in protest and we got most of our funding restored.

Now we’re facing it all again. The proposed cuts this year will bring us up to a 40% cut since 2009. Libraries in New York just can’t function with that kind of cut. But that’s ok, because our librarians are a scrappy bunch of punk ass book jockeys. We’re planning more and bigger advocacy events than last year, and we’ll get our damn funding back.

The process of getting said tattoo was kind of weird and very librariany. The artist who did it was into comics and had a passion for bad post-apocalyptic fiction, so I found myself doing readers advisory while in the chair. “You might like S.M. Stirling, ouch, Dies the Fire is really good in a sort of awful way, ouch.” A librarian’s job is never over.

Clearly, when I say we should be in a permanent state of advocacy I really mean it. I was lucky enough to create an image last year that people could be inspired by and rally around, and at least part of the reason I got the tattoo was to try to inspire myself again. To remind myself to fight for the people in our communities who can’t. To remember why we do all this. And because being a librarian has become part of who I am, and it’s going to stay that way.

Check us out at www.savenyclibraries.org. If you’re in New York on June 11th and 12th, check out the read-in. Sign all three petitions!
I’ll appreciate it, and I know that my coworkers and patrons will as well.

Thanks for the post Lauren! FYI, Lauren originally accompanied the original Project Brand Yourself a Librarian group to Jinx Proof Tattoos in Washington, DC during ALA 2010 and was there for the initial branding! -Justin

advocacy librarians libraries library Modified Shushed tattoo

librar*+SXSWi=awesome ____up’s

11 months ago

by detailmatters in #makeithappen, 8Bit Contributor Andrea Davis, drinkup, event, marketing, Project Brand Yourself A Librarian, SXSW

While our storm-the-panels-with-library programming hasn’t been added…yet. We have pulled together some social let’s-make-it-happen events planned for the nutty week in Austin for those librar* involved/interested/ingrained to come out and friendly.

So what’s going on?

We already “sold out” of the 100 free tickets for the librar* drinkup, had to add more tix for folks to RSVP (note – if anyone wants to sponsor a tab at the bar – we’re listening!).

Saturday, March 12th @ 6pm at the Lustre Pearl (97 Rainey St)

And SXSW Interactive respects its library contingency and is holding an official meetup (yea, it’s OFFICIAL): Librarians and Technology Meet Up.

Sunday, March 13 @ 12:30 -1:30 (noonish) at the Hilton, Room 615AB

(it’s posted so places, it’s hard to keep up):

http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_IAP000501

http://austin2011.sched.org/event/b87ca030c0afb504729da17f018546c5

http://sxswlib11meetup-eorg.eventbrite.com/

Let’s get conversing about what tools/ pieces/and people we need to get at the table to make library stuff more amazingly awesome and less annoyingly archaically stove-piped systems.

If twitter is your thang:

#sxswi + #library = #sxswlib11 OFFICIAL meetup ow.ly/46Poh unOFFICIAL drinkup ow.ly/46PmO let’s #makeithappen

#makeithappen drinkup librar* meetup sxsw sxswi

PROJECT BRAND YOURSELF A LIBRARIAN: Rachel Campbell

1 year ago

by JustinLibrarian in Project Brand Yourself A Librarian

Rachel Campbell, Director Eccles-Lesher Memorial Library

We’re pleased to have Rachel Campbell, Director of the Eccles-Lesher Memorial Library in Rimersburg, PA guest posting about her experiences as a branded librarian. -Justin

“I like your tattoos!” I’ve heard this statement many times over the past year and a half. The best part about this statement isn’t necessarily the words, but the intonations that accompany it, most often when stated by patrons at the Circulation Desk of my library. Hints of astonishment, surprise, and usually a dash of curiosity. It isn’t often people run into a female librarian working on 3/4 length sleeves.

I got my first tattoo in the summer of 2009. Just a small one on the inside of my right forearm up by my elbow. I’ve been into Buddhism in one way or another since I was around eleven years old and figured that after 17 years that wasn’t going to change so it was a safe bet to get the Buddhist mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, tattooed in Tibetan Sanskrit on my arm where I would always be able to see it. Seventeen months later I’m up to 11 tattoos and have another one in the works as I type.

I became a librarian for several reasons, but the first and foremost reasons have always been to help others, to provide service, to disseminate knowledge and information in accessible and understandable ways. Our nation was founded on this idea of equality and I’m proud of the fact that I work in a profession that upholds that belief. No matter who you are you can come into a public library and find information to help you improve your life, to educate yourself and help you make the best choices to suite your needs.

I’m pretty stoked to be one of those librarians that’s helping to break down and demolish the age old stereotype of who librarians are and what libraries should be like. I like knowing that people from all age groups, from teens to seniors, interact with me and gain a greater sense of comfort with me and with the library. That might sound odd but it’s true. Many individuals from older generations hold some pretty deep-seated beliefs about people with tattoos. The same thing goes for younger generations and their perceptions of adults in professional positions. It’s incredibly rewarding to work in an environment that lets me be myself and at the same time broaden someone else’s experience in a positive way.

My tattoos are about compassion, kindness, letting go of the self and seeing the interconnectedness of us all. Except for my book and stars tattoo ~ that one was purely for the place books and libraries have held in my life. Even the Optimus Prime tattoo I will be getting on December 3rd is about peace and compassion. I mean his tag line is “Freedom is the right of all sentient beings” and that is totally in alignment with my flow of chi.

In my book, everyone has the right to knowledge and information. I work to protect that right, to provide that freedom. I’m damn proud to be a librarian.

Branded Librarians librarian libraries Rachel Campbell Tattoos

PROJECT BRAND YOURSELF A LIBRARIAN: HEIDI GUSTAD IS AWESOME

1 year ago

by JustinLibrarian in 8BitLibrarian Justin Hoenke, Project Brand Yourself A Librarian

Heidi proudly shows off her brandedness. That's not even a real word.

Heidi Gustad never really thought she would be a librarian.

“I grew up in Fargo, [North Dakota],” she says. “What brought me to Michigan wasMichigan State University. I was playing the oboe professionally . . and I came here because I got a music and honors scholarship.”

After a bout with tendonitis, Gustad re-evaluated the path that her studies were taking.

“I realized that being a professional musician wasn’t the most sustainable career, so I switched to telecommunications,” she says.
“I was able to keep all of my scholarship money and I liked MSU’s campus. I had made a lot of friends, and I like being in a totally new environment.”

To read more about Heidi’s awesome story, click here. Heidi got branded long before the Project Brand Yourself A Librarian project and she rules.

GO HEIDI GO. (and congrats on getting married in March!)

advocacy Heart on Your Sleeve Heidi Gustad librarian libraries library Project Brand Yourself A Librarian Tattoos

Project Brand Yourself a Librarian: THE AFTERMATH (PART 2)

1 year ago

by JustinLibrarian in 8BitLibrarian Justin Hoenke, Project Brand Yourself A Librarian

A couple of months ago, my best friend was visiting me in Lansing, and I decided to bite the bullet and get the library tattoo I’d been wanting. We’d been roommates during our mutual time at Michigan State University and had gotten in to our fair share of mischief back then, not the least of which was getting our first body modifications. That’s when I fell in love with tattoos. My first was a memorial tattoo for a recently-passed family member. My second tattoo reads, “I simply can’t do anything which I don’t feel deeply,” and is written in my own handwriting. (The guy who did the tattoo called it my “don’t sell out” tattoo, and it’s served me well in that regard.)

When I get tattoos, it is always an incredibly premeditated, personal decision. In looking at the comments on the Project Brand Yourself a Librarian page, I noticed people saying they’d wear a temporary library tattoo, they can’t afford another tattoo (a valid consideration), or they’re on the fence about getting a tat. I guess I was on the fence at first about getting my library tattoo as well, but it is something I absolutely don’t regret.

So many people stop me on the street now to ask, “Is that real?” of my tattoo. By and large, everyone talks about how cool it is, and it always starts a conversation about libraries (bonus!). Everything from questions about my library‘s overdue fines, to our millage, to a great conversation about what the library means for our community. One day, I was walking to a dinner meeting, and these two guys stopped me on the street. I thought they were messing with me at first and I was all set to ignore them. Instead they said, “Hey, is that a library thing?”

“Yeah – I work at the library.”

Their response? “That’s what’s up! Peace.” And with a nod and a smile, I was off to my meeting.

Ha! I love telling people this tattoo-related story because, especially for those who are “on the fence” about branding themselves a librarian, the BEST thing about library tattoos is the cred you suddenly find yourself armed with. If you’re prepared to permanently brand yourself a librarian, a lot of people have respect for that, and in my community, people understand that working at a public library can be quite the experience. The tattoo lets people know that you’re serious about what you do. Permanently serious.

Post by Heidi Gustad. Check out her awesome blog here: http://www.heidijogustad.com/

Project Brand Yourself a Librarian: THE AFTERMATH (PART 1)

1 year ago

by JustinLibrarian in 8BitLibrarian Justin Hoenke, Project Brand Yourself A Librarian

We came, we ALA’ed, and we got branded as librarians…

Since I had already branded myself a librarian back in January of this year, I decided to go another route for the ALA 2010 Project Brand Yourself A Librarian. As an 8Bit Librarian, it goes without saying that video games have a special place in my heart. I can remember getting my Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986 along with the games Super Mario Brothers, Duckhunt, Trojan, and Mighty Bomb Jack. I was in love instantly, not with just the experience itself, but the characters as well. Old Nintendo games have a reputation for not having the most well developed story lines but I found out that worked to my advantage. Instead of books, it was video games that unlocked my curiosity and imagination. They challenged me to create stories, think, and create.

When it came time to get another tattoo, picking my homage to video games was easy. The Legend of Zelda was the first video game that captured me completely. I was so into the world of Hyrule and the main character Link that it was all I thought about. I would spend hours playing in the woods, envisioning my own Hyrule. I would draw maps based on what I discovered while playing the game. Point being, The Legend of Zelda unlocked something in me that had been locked up before. I became curious. Instead of just sitting back and having the world fed to me, I decided to seek it out on my own. I don’t know exactly why I became a librarian, but I’m thinking that had something to do with it. That eternal curious feeling.

One of the reasons why 8BitLibrary was started by JP and I was not only to advocate for video gaming in libraries but also to reach out to the people that are just like the six year old version of myself I described above. In my youth, video games in libraries were not something that went together at all. Because of that, I sort of backed away from my library as I got older. I felt like they didn’t get me. I now look back on those years as a time where I lost a valuable resource that could’ve changed my life. Who know what I would be like if I had the library to guide me during those teenage year. My point is simple…if I can reach out to those teens with games and show them just what else we have to offer, I might be able to make a positive impact on their life.

So, here’s where I explain my tattoo.

Here’s the history behind the game and the Triforce, the relic which Link holds in my tattoo. I got it simply because I love 8Bit art and I love what the triforce stands for: WISDOM. POWER. COURAGE

I feel like that should be the new logo and slogan for libraries.

(much love to Peter Bromberg for the photo)

8 Bit advocacy librarian libraries library link NES tattoo Triforce Zelda

Project Brand Yourself A Librarian

1 year ago

by JustinLibrarian in 8BitLibrarian Justin Hoenke, Project Brand Yourself A Librarian

THE TIME HAS COME.

BRAND YOURSELF A LIBRARIAN TODAY!

The 8BitLibrary team and YOU (well, if you want to) will be going to Jinx Proof Tattoos in Washington DC on SATURDAY JUNE 26TH at 4:30PM.

The bummer? They don’t take appointments. JP and myself will be getting tattoos and we’d love for you to be there to support us (one of us will cry, but who?) or get your own tattoo. Of course, there will be lots of pictures and video. Which leads me to this:

TAGS: Twitter: #librarytat8bit Flickr, Etc: librarytat8bit

AFTERPARTY!

CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILS

Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 9:30pm
WHERE: RFD Washington
ADDRESS: 810 7th Street

If you support the project, please add this to your blog/wiki/facebook/myspace: