S.s. Librarianship

This week, with very special guest Michael WynneMind Grapes: We get after those early December blockbusters! Doctor Strange, Arrival, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them are all discussed. We also talk some books with The Expanse series, wildly popular television with The Great British Bake Off, and some real culture with the Star Trek Exhibit at the EMP in Seattle.Class Z(ed): Michael returns to the podcast to tell us about the continuation of his career. In his first appearance in Episode 11, Michael told us all about his work at the Xwi7xwa Library at UBC. His work in this regard has continued as he is now a Digital Applications Librarian at Washington State University working with ethical curation, the Plateau Peoples Web Portal, and the Tribal Stewardship program.Links:Doctor StrangeArrivalFantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemThe Expanse Series by James S. A. CoreyGreat British Bake OffStar Trek: Exploring New WorldsThe Plateau Peoples Web PortalMukurtu CMSCenter for Digital Scholarship and Cur

This week with special guest Mary Jinglewski...SPOILER WARNINGS FOR WESTWORLD, THE FLASH, LEGENDS OF TOMORROW AND SUPERGIRL. Mind Grapes: Sam is super up-to-date and tells us about her latest TV obsession, Westworld. Mary has been getting into the DC Television family of products, especially Supergirl and The Flash. And medieval musicals? That's pretty much right up Alli's street with Galavant.Class Z(ed): In another edition of let's ask our friends about their cool jobs, Mary shares here experience working at Equinox Software who offer support for the open source integrated library systems softwares Koha and Evergreen. We hear about her job, her travel, and how much fun she's having teaching software up and down the East Coast.Links: Westworld (1973 film)Westworld (2016 HBO Series)DC Television UniverseArrowSupergirlThe FlashLegends of TomorrowGalavantEquinox SoftwareEvergreen ILSKoha ILS

This week with special guest host Melanie Cassidy and guest Matthew Murray...Mind Grapes: Matthew is on again, so that means comics! Lots of comic and manga suggestions from both Matthew and Melanie. Also a few additional podcasts - one new and one previously mentioned, but it has gotten super super good.Class Z(ed): The Comic Conference for Educators and Librarians was a tagged on event at San Diego Comic Con this year and was lovingly organized in no small part by our own Matthew Murray. He tells us all about the events, their goals, and some of the generally awesome stuff he got to do at SDCC.Links: Ask A Mortician | YouTubeSmoke Gets In Your Eyes | Caitlyn DoughtyPortal 2 & PortalEden: It's an Endless WorldYowamushi PedalKurosagi Corpse Delivery ServiceSummer WarsTerrace HouseBabysitter's Club Club (podcast)The Adventure Zone (podcast)The Crystal Kingdom Soundtrack | Griffin McElroySDCCComic Conference for Educators and LibrariansNo Flying, No TightsMaking Comics Panel Slide DeckHellboy in Hell | Mike

This week, with special guest Christina Neigel...BiblioFiles: We got to talking and just couldn't stop! Christing Neigel, amazing librarian, teacher, and now PhD student, talks to us about her research project that examines librarian stereotypes from the last couple of decades. This fascinating discussion weaves its way around trashy detective novels, terrible TV shows, and why the media may view librarians the way it does.Links: Reel Librarians (blog)The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries A Bone to Pick: An Aurora Teagarden MysteryThe Julius House: An Aurora Teagarden MysteryAnn "The Librarian" WithersChristina's BlogThe Librarians (TV Show) 

This Week...Mind Grapes: SPOILER WARNING! An idle question of "Hey, have you heard of this Stranger Things show?" turns into an internet sensation. Of course we saw it. It is fantastic (with reservations from Sam). But perhaps more shockingly - Sam's childhood remains intact after she did not hate Star Trek: Beyond.Class Z(ed): We return to this year's eBook Summit, where Sam was a presenter! We talk about the latest and greatest in library related ebook technology and initiatives. And so can you! Most parts of the summit were filmed and are available online.Links: Star Trek: BeyondStranger ThingsStar Trek: DiscoveryeBook Summit 2016 videos from YouTubeThe Atheist Who Went to Church | Mark McLeanSmashwords

This week, with special guests Matthew Murray and Sara AllainMind Grapes: You get comic recommendations! And YOU get comic recommendations! But first, Alli talks about her latest podcast binge, the wonderful 2 Dope Queens (showing especial appreciation for Hari Kondabolu’s story). Sara shares some of her latest comic loves in Fresh Romance, Girl Over Paris (a comic spun off from the novel Girl on a Wire), and Southern Cross. In a shocking change of pace, Matthew offers more comic suggestions in the form of the feminist works Chainmail Bikini and Vixen’s Keep, but then tells us a little about Rat Queens Vol. 3, which was slightly disappointing for totally understandable reasons. Sam wraps up with the Netflix Series Cooked, which is Michael Pollen’s latest docuseries looking at the concept of cooking and how it has shaped what we are.Nerd Alert! Sam and Alli both strive to be renaissance nerds that dabble in all forms of nerdery, but comics remain elusive – the entry bar seems high and unforgiving. Matthew has

This fortnight...Mind Grapes: Alli has been having less than perfect media experiences and complains bitterly about Ernest Cline's second novel, Armada, and the mostly disappointing latest handheld Mario title, Mario and Luigi Paper Jam. Sam also has complaints, but this time about the U.S. political docuseries, The Circus. We do, however, finish with some good reading - Lawrence Hill's The Illegal.ReRoll: Harkening back to episode 59 of the show ("We don't want to throw any babies out with any bathwater, here."), Alli continues to be in a bad mood because 1) The ACRL has officially recisinded the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, clearly not listening to our podcast or the salient advice it gave and 2) everyone needs to calm down about it. Like, for serious.Links: Armada | Ernest ClineMario & Luigi: Paper Jam Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Review - Zero Punctuation. The CircusThe Illegal | Lawrence HillSometimes when we touch...Information Literacy Competency Standards for Hig

It's still June! We're good! This week...Mind Grapes: Sam is inspired by a recent episode of This American Life and Lindy West's new book Shrill to pick up Jes Baker's Things No One Tells Fat Girls. Alli was dragged to the Jane Austen adaptation Love and Friendship, but LOVED IT. But this weekend has been devoted to playing Blizzard's latest Overwatch. Speaking of games, Sam also plugs her latest podcast binge Cool Games Inc. Class Z(ed): It's been about a month, but this year's BC Library Conference was a super cool time. We talk about volunteering, Corey Doctorow's firebrand keynote, and an amazing presentation on privacy, and a number of other conference bits and bobs.Also check our article in BCLA Perspectives: "Democracy in Your Earbuds: The Freedom of Podcasting." Links: Jes Baker | Things No One Tells Fat Girls | The Militant BakerThis American Life - Episode 589 "Tell Me I'm Fat"BC Library Conference 2016 Program | PresentationsOverwatchLove and FriendshipCool Games Inc. Library Freedom ProjectTOR 

This week...Mind Grapes: The Vancouver Public Library has been challenging its staff to read diverse books, and Sam is endeavoring to win the challenge! While she's won a few points with Ms. Marvel, she's hoping to get a few more with Erika Johansen's The Queen of the Tearling. To add to this, Alli recommends The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisen, but doesn't want to spoil anything because it's too good. Instead, Alli offers a review of the second season of Daredevil, the second season of Broadchurch, and listening to the audiobook of Alan Cumming's memoir Not My Father's Son.NERD ALERT!: Sam got to go to Emerald City Comicon, but this year, wearing her librarian hat/flag. She along with friends of the show Erin Fields, Melanie Cassidy, and Anne Gaines gave a panel discussion titled "Research for Writers, World Builders, and Other Types of Nerds" that showed people the power of library-related research. It was a hit - full house, lots of great questions, and the chance to show the power of libraries

With very special guest Coxswain Jon...Mind Grapes: We get through our post-vacation blues by talking about some new stuff, re-reading some old stuff, and talking about reading very old stuff for the first time. Alli saw Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, the new Tina Fey vehicle about a war correspondent in Afghanistan. It was amazing. Jon has been re-reading an old favourite, Perdido Street Station by China Miéville, and talks about how it screws with the norms of Tolkienian fantasy. Sam decided her next comic project will be X-Men, and so she started with the original run back from 1963.NERD ALERT: We all went on the nerd boat. But first, we spent nerd time in Orlando, so we cover the Universal Parks and our incredible visit to Kennedy Space Center. The nerd boat meant different things to all of us, and so we talk about the community, the events, and the boat experience.Links:Whisky Tango FoxtrotPerdido Street Station by China MiévilleX-MenJoCo CruiseMatt Gourley | I Was There TooImogen HeapJanet Varney | The JV Podca

Mind Grapes: Since becoming mildly employed (as opposed to totally employed), Alli has been sinking hours and hours (and days) into Fallout 4. We talk about video games, Sam's slow progress in Portal, and how difficult it can be sometimes to break into a new nerd field that is kind of intimidating. To that end, we also discuss Sam's foray into older comics thanks to a Marvel Unlimited subscription. She suggests some titles and story arcs that would be good for comic noobs. Also, we saw a Star War. So there's that too.Class Z(ed): A bit of a catch-up, really. We could give you excuses for the haitus, but we thought it would be better to simply tell you all the things that we've been up to (as excuses for the haitus). Alli discusses coming off a one-year contract, what's she's learned, and what she's taking with her. Sam talks about her dual life as a digital collections librarian and a member of the Programming and Learning team. Good things are happening, and we're excited to tell you about it.Links: Fallout

This week...* SPOILER WARNING FOR SCREAM QUEENS AND CRIMSON PEAK *On a slightly overdue Halloween episode, we watch one of Fox's new fall lineup from the brains of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. In a collision of their other projects (American Horror Story and Glee), we watch the pilot episode of the super campy horror comedy show Scream Queens.We also launch into a surprisingly deep conversation with our resident horror expert Jon Newell and explore what it is that make horror comedy such a fruitful and enjoyable genre.Links: Scream QueensCrimson PeakSerialShaun of the DeadCabin in the Woods

Things are a little different this week, and we like it! First up, Sarah Kift hosts us in an installment of her lovely The Story and The Story podcast. We talk our young love of books, our paths through scifi and fantasy, and how our reading pasts and presents inform us as women and librarians. Then we turn the mic, so to speak, for an edition of NERD ALERT! where Sarah tells us all about her journey as a fellow lady podcaster.Honestly, when it comes to this week's links, we don't even know where to start - this conversation was an incredibly wide-ranging one. Think of it as a fun audio treasure hunt for new things to read and play!

This week... Mind Grapes: Very librarian. Much books. Wow. Literacy. Both Sam and Alli were feeling very bookish, so we share our thoughts on The Family Trade by Charles Stross, Redshirts by John Scalzi, The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber, and The Farm by Tom Rob Smith. We also talk about how we probably will go see The Martian, even though Matt Damon has been talking out of his butt lately. However, we also discuss some frustration with the idea that ALL BOOKS ARE NOW BECOMING MOVIES. Watch us turn into cranky old women before your very eyes!Class Z(ed): We've both been lucky (mostly) to be attending some recent professional development workshops meant to help us out with our teaching. Alli discusses the Instructional Skills Workshop, a 3-day whirlwind meant to hone teaching skills, learn new techniques, and test out new ideas. Sam has been partnering with the UBC Learning Exchange to get some tips and tricks about teaching adult communities. Bonus: hear a rant about a not so great workshop abou

This week...Mind Grapes: Alli finally saw Spy, so she and Sam are able to have some conversations around how it feels to have a woman of size who looks like us play a real spy movie hero person. Not going to lie, it's pretty cool. We then seque into another spy with Marvel's Agent Carter, which we are thrilled has been renewed for a second season. Yet amid all this good stuff, we are also frustrated by some of Marvel's choices with Ant Man when canonically, Wasp has been a much more important character.Where Do We Put This? Teaching. Technology. It's a big, big part of what we do whether we are teaching WITH it or teaching how to use it. We discuss some of our strategies when teaching people who are terrified of it and also dealing with fellow librarians who seem to be struggling with it. And of course, we would love to hear your thoughts.Links: SpyMarvel's Agent CarterAnt-ManSense8Prezi

This week, with very special guests Matthew Murray, Anna Ferri, and Meghan Whyte...Mind Grapes: Our guests this week are founders of The Book Club for Masochists, which every month is dealt a random genre for the members to try to read. This month, they have psychological thrillers, which is, apparently, a challenge. Meghan, however, has enjoyed the thriller Dare Me by Megan Abbot. She's also been enjoying the different takes on feminism in Roxanne Gay's Bad Feminist. Anna's been trying to get into the thrillers, but has only been able to finish Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer, which she thinks might have been cheating. She's also loved The Library at Mount Char lately, but suggests going into the book blind to get the best reading experience. Matthew is slightly dissappointed by our first female Thor in Thor: Goddess of Thunder, but is even more dissappointed by Fearless Defenders: Volume One. Starting to play Mass Effect 3 seems to be making up for it, though. Alli and Sam gush over the McElroy brother's re

This week with very special guest Cecily Walker...Mind Grapes: Alli gets Cecily and Sam hooked on the original Netflix series BoJack Horseman - a show about anthropomorphic animals that tells an extremely human story. Cecily talks about her most recent binge-watch obsession in the form of Korean Dramas. Sam's been on a reading kick and tells us all about Neil Smith's weird and wonderful novel Boo. Class Z(ed): We have a fascinating conversation with Digital Services librarian Cecily Walker that revolves around having an effective online presence as a librarian; her trajectory from corporate IT to the public library world; and her thoughts on collaboration among "Sparkle Ponies" as an alternative to "rock star" librarianship. We also discuss some of her work with In the Library with the Lead Pipe, an amazing peer-reviewed, alternative-ish library blog and journal.Links: BoJack HorsemanIrisOh My GhostDramaFever.comBoo by Neil SmithIn the Library with the Lead Pipe"Soliciting Performance, Hiding Bias:

This week...Mind Grapes: It's hot, so thinking deeply is not really a priority right now. Alli has four words for you: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Also a brief foray in to the film The Sapphires in a display of Australian media love. Sam talks about a new podcast that we have both been enjoying with Brent Black and Travis McElroy in Trends Like These - a discussion of issues, events, or various other things that are trending on the internet. Where Do We Put This?: Sam is in the research hot seat this week with a bit of a (wonderful, informative) lecture about net neutrality. What is it? Why has it been in the news so much in the past year? What is Canada doing right (again)? Why should librarians give a hoot? And what still needs to be examined and helped? We scratch the surface here, but we would love to hear your thoughts.Links: Miss Fisher's Murder MysteriesThe SapphiresTrends Like TheseOPENmedia.caThe Electronic Frontier Foundation"The Feds Lost on Net Neutrality, But Won Control of the Internet"

This week...Mind Grapes: Alli had one of those "buy a book" feelings and so picked up the Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang graphic novel In Real Life. We talk about the impulses we have to use art for messages or have art for art's sake. Sam gave up on The Paradise due to unfortunate love story interference, so instead we talk about Pixar's latest masterpiece Inside Out. The movie is simply beautiful, brilliant, and gives us (children and adults alike) a great new vocabulary around our emotions.BiblioFiles: We did some real live (internet) research to talk about the idea of the Rockstar Librarian. What does it mean? What do they do? Why are we made so very uncomfortable by them? And what does it mean that so many Rockstar Librarians are male in a female dominated profession? We'd love to hear your thoughts.Links:In Real Life | Cory Doctorow and Jen WangInside Out"Core Beliefs: Kicking Your Ass Behind Your Back" by Wendy Hall"Why the Key Character in Inside Out is the One Who Isn't There.""Chart: How Inside Out's 5

This week with special guest Sarah Felkar...Mind Grapes: Sam is still riding her wave of Philippa Gregory books and found some more historical romance in the form of the television series The Paradise. Sarah, a huge fan of the military sci-fi genre, talks about John Ringo's Looking Glass series. While they can be a nice introduction to the genre, they can sometimes be disappointing in the depiction of women (or lack thereof). Alli gave The 100 another try and was able to talk about some awesome representations of women in a sci-fi series. She also touches on Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky's incredible comic Sex Criminals which, if you're not squeamish about the title, you should read immediately.Class Z(ed): For the past several years, Sarah has had a major hand in the organization of the BC Library Cooperative's eBook and Digital Collection Summit. This annual event gathers together digital collections librarians from all around BC to take the pulse of where ebook collections are at, how they are changing, a