the work I want

Posted on by jessamyn

Reproduction of mural in Library of Congress showing two men removing tree stump.

I am looking for work.

During most of last year and some of the previous year, selling my mother’s house was my part-time job. That project is done and I’m ready to go more formally on to the job market. I’m looking for something fairly specific but I honestly believe there’s a good fit for me somewhere. Please feel free to connect me with people or placements you think might be a good fit. I am looking for a part-time, work-from-home job doing various kinds of knowledge management. Specifics and finicky requirements below.

I’m at my happiest when I am researching and writing Wikipedia articles, cleaning or creating metadata, helping people learn technology, answering reference questions, dropping links into a live chat (or after the fact in podcast notes), or writing clearly about complex topics. I work decently well with a team but am also fine working alone. I have a good eye for detail and accessibility and am comfortable and capable in most online environments. I am very organized. I don’t mind repetitive work and often enjoy working a queue of tickets/emails/tasks if the workload is manageable. I am an excellent troubleshooter and diplomatic communicator.

Because of my other commitments–I have some local part-time library work and other civic tasks–I’m looking for 20 hours a week maximum with 15 being ideal. I’m available to work 11 am EST or afterwards. I don’t mind working evenings and could work some weekends.

More specifics about my background can be found on my resumé or my LinkedIn profile. Got something in mind? Get in touch.

2022 reading list and commentary

Posted on by jessamyn

s shelf with MAD paperback books of various titles

Here was the twitter thread of what I read last year. I’ll be posting on Mastodon this year instead.Find me there at https://glammr.us/@jessamyn. I read a lot of books this year but in many ways it wasn’t a great year for me (it’s improving) so I have mixed feelings about the sheer length of this list and am hoping to read LESS this year. I started to read 144 books and finished 142 but kept up with a few I maybe shouldn’t have. Here are stats for the books that I finished. Of note is that I’m lumping female and non-binary authors together only because I’m trying to read fewer books by men. I’m also retiring my “people of color/non-Western” category only because it relies too much on surface impressions/names. Continue reading “2022 reading list and commentary”

2022 in Libraries

Posted on by jessamyn

looking up into the wooden dome of my home public library

Not a big year for libraries though I did get to one new one in Fairlee.

  • Kimball (56) – Once the library opened, it stayed open. This includes Drop-In Time shifts as well as work shifts and regular library visits
  • Chelsea (1) – Worked one fill-in shift here.
  • Fairlee (1) – I was in town for a conference and stopped by.
  • Hartness/Randolph (1) – Stopped by when I was on a walk I miss this place.

Previous years: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and some reviews from 2003.

Ask A Librarian: Getting News to Our Patrons

Posted on by jessamyn

black and white photo of Man sitting in a disarrayed newsroom, with newspapers scattered about

From our local librarian mailing list: Is it possible for library patrons to have free access to newspapers like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and those other big, famous ones? Or even little, non-famous ones?

I took this as a bit of a question about paywalls, though our State Library did chime in to say that there is some access available through Gale OneFile, specifically “the New York Times is available, while the Washington Post is not. USA Today looks to have a 3-day delay, and the Guardian has a 1-day delay.”

Paywall stuff is complicated! There are two basic answers to your question: an ethical one and a technical one. The answer to “Can I do this technical thing?” is quite often “Yes but you have to know how, and it might not be ethical.”
Continue reading “Ask A Librarian: Getting News to Our Patrons”