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S.S. Librarianship

S.S. Librarianship

By Sam Mills & Alli Sullivan

We're Alli and Sam. We met in a pub the night before our first day of library school, and since then we've been through a lot together - classes, jobs, weddings, D&D campaigns - always finding ourselves engrossed in wide-ranging conversations about television, film, books, technology, and what it means to be a young, nerdy, lady librarian in the 21st century. This podcast is now over, but we hope you enjoy your wander through our back catalog.
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Episode Thirty-Seven - "It's more about the feels than the science."

S.S. LibrarianshipJun 16, 2014

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01:17:17
Indefinite Hiatus

Indefinite Hiatus

(Bonus audio: "Glasses", by Jonathan Coulton, the S.S. Librarianship theme song. Used by permission).

Back in the heyday of Television Without Pity, when a show went off the air, they would often assign it the status of "Indefinite Hiatus." In some ways this was a brilliant flash of foresight about the future of TV - they were anticipating that some beloved shows would never be over for good in the age of Netflix and crowdfunding. But it always seemed, too, like a rather poetic nod to the fact that the media we love never really ends, because we can always return to it again and again, often discovering it anew as we continue to grow and change beyond the era it was made and the perspectives we held.

You've probably noticed that S.S. Librarianship has been quiet for a while. We've decided that, for the foreseeable future, this project is over for us. We've loved the ride, and we've so appreciated the responses we've gotten and the opportunities the show has given us to engage in conversation with each other and with so many brilliant and fascinating friends and colleagues. We're very proud of this podcast as a body of work and a testament to our passion for our profession and all our other favourite things.

We'll keep the site up and running for the time being, which means you can return to this feed or to this page to access the archives. We hope the show continues to be discovered by new librarians and new nerds, and continues to provide something useful, or at least entertaining, to all who listen.

We're also not shutting the door completely on podcasting in general. Right now we're both pretty busy with work and life, but we see each other often, and we've never stopped enjoying talking to each other and everyone else about the things we love and the issues we care about. So we may very well be back before you know it, in some form or another. In the meantime you can find us on Twitter individually: Alli is @navillusnosilla and Sam is @dothenextthing. And we still get emails at sslibrarianship@gmail.com.

That's all there is for now, friends. We'll catch you on the proverbial flipside.

-Sam and Alli

May 15, 201702:47
Episode Eighty-One - "Short answer is... too bad?"

Episode Eighty-One - "Short answer is... too bad?"

Mind 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.
Feb 07, 201700:00
Episode Eighty - "Extroverts = VAMPIRES"

Episode Eighty - "Extroverts = VAMPIRES"

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.
Nov 02, 201600:00
Episode Seventy-Nine - "Don't you death-shame me!"

Episode Seventy-Nine - "Don't you death-shame me!"

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.
Oct 18, 201600:00
Episode Seventy-Eight - "Limp Wrists, Old Maids, and Diabolical Deviants"

Episode Seventy-Eight - "Limp Wrists, Old Maids, and Diabolical Deviants"

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.
Sep 21, 201600:00
Episode Seventy-Seven - "Written in crayon and human blood."

Episode Seventy-Seven - "Written in crayon and human blood."

Mind Grapes: 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 in tact 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 things available online.
Aug 23, 201600:00
Episode Seventy-Six - "Open source toasters..."

Episode Seventy-Six - "Open source toasters..."

Mind 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 been reading X-Men comics all his life. Sara got super deep into comics in the last few years. And Alli has had an enduring love of the X-Men movies and television series. So how to we enter into a world so deep? Where do we start if we want to learn more about Professor Xavier and his rag-tag group of super-powered children? Sara and Matthew give us some good suggestions and talk about what X-Men Comic Fandom in particular means to them.
Jul 26, 201600:00
Episode Seventy-Five - "I done gone drank the haterade..."

Episode Seventy-Five - "I done gone drank the haterade..."

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.
Jul 12, 201600:00
Episode Seventy-Four - "Crazy Socialist Canadians."

Episode Seventy-Four - "Crazy Socialist Canadians."

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."
Jun 29, 201600:00
Episode Seventy-Three - "Feminism and Super Grover."

Episode Seventy-Three - "Feminism and Super Grover."

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 in a new light.
Apr 13, 201601:02:09
Episode Seventy-Two - "...worth doing at least once."

Episode Seventy-Two - "...worth doing at least once."

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.
Mar 15, 201601:28:40
Episode Seventy-One - "We Saw a Star War"

Episode Seventy-One - "We Saw a Star War"

We're Alli & Sam. We met in a pub the night before our first day of library school, and since then we've been through a lot together - classes, jobs, weddings, D&D campaigns - always finding ourselves engrossed in wide-ranging conversations about television, film, books, technology, and what it means to be a young, nerdy, lady librarian in the 21st century. This podcast is our invitation to you to join our conversation. We hope you'll join us by sending in a question, comment, or topic for us to discuss on the show!
Feb 15, 201600:00
Episode Seventy - "You got your chocolate in my peanut butter."

Episode Seventy - "You got your chocolate in my peanut butter."

* 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.
Nov 23, 201500:00
Episode Sixty-Nine - "The story of The Story and The Story."

Episode Sixty-Nine - "The story of The Story and The Story."

We're Alli & Sam. We met in a pub the night before our first day of library school, and since then we've been through a lot together - classes, jobs, weddings, D&D campaigns - always finding ourselves engrossed in wide-ranging conversations about television, film, books, technology, and what it means to be a young, nerdy, lady librarian in the 21st century. This podcast is our invitation to you to join our conversation. We hope you'll join us by sending in a question, comment, or topic for us to discuss on the show!
Oct 27, 201500:00
Episode Sixty-Eight - "...too peripheral to latch on to."

Episode Sixty-Eight - "...too peripheral to latch on to."

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 about intercultural communication.
Oct 05, 201500:00
Episode Sixty-Seven - "I think I intended it to be more of a rant than it became..."

Episode Sixty-Seven - "I think I intended it to be more of a rant than it became..."

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 terrified of it. And of course, we would love to hear your thoughts.
Sep 14, 201501:02:51
Episode Sixty-Six - "It's this great love story - between a girl and her rocket ship."

Episode Sixty-Six - "It's this great love story - between a girl and her rocket ship."

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 and ... 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 recent visit to the Great White North in their first international live episode of My Brother, My Brother, and Me. Class Z(ed): We're a bit late this time around, but we talk to Matthew, Anna, and Meghan about their experiences at the ALA conference this summer in San Francisco. Since it's difficult to remember details this far along, we instead discuss why we decide to go to these conferences, what we hope to get from them, and how we are using the lessons we learn when we get home. But of course, we also discuss what went on and their favourite parts of the conference. Much time is spend on the awesomeness of the Zine Pavilion, of which Matthew is a primary organizer and contributor.
Sep 01, 201500:00
Episode Sixty-Five - "...really amazing things can happen."

Episode Sixty-Five - "...really amazing things can happen."

We're Alli & Sam. We met in a pub the night before our first day of library school, and since then we've been through a lot together - classes, jobs, weddings, D&D campaigns - always finding ourselves engrossed in wide-ranging conversations about television, film, books, technology, and what it means to be a young, nerdy, lady librarian in the 21st century. This podcast is our invitation to you to join our conversation. We hope you'll join us by sending in a question, comment, or topic for us to discuss on the show!
Aug 17, 201500:00
Episode Sixty-Four - "Free market, or something?"

Episode Sixty-Four - "Free market, or something?"

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.
Jul 21, 201500:00
Episode Sixty-Three - "You know what I like to see blown up in movies? Gender roles."

Episode Sixty-Three - "You know what I like to see blown up in movies? Gender roles."

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.
Jul 08, 201500:00
Episode Sixty-Two - "Publishers are people too..."

Episode Sixty-Two - "Publishers are people too..."

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, and what we want in the future. We discuss the event, how we feel about ebooks, and what we think the future of ebooks will be.
Jun 22, 201500:00
Episode Sixty-One - "It's cool, and you should come."

Episode Sixty-One - "It's cool, and you should come."

Mind Grapes: In a rapid fire Mind Grapes, Sam and Alli cover Philippa Gregory books (like The Constant Princess and The Other Boleyn Girl, the steam indie game Catlateral Damage, and Travis McElroy and Brent Black's (Brentalfloss) new podcast Trends Like These. We then engage in a lengthy discussion of the magnum opus that is Mad Max: Fury Road because it was awesome and beautiful and nothing hurt. Where Do We Put This?: One of the major trends that we learned all about during library school was the Maker Space. What is it? What does it do? What is its utility? Alli was never totally convinced by the idea, but what if the maker space focuses on the creation of digital objects instead of simply physical ones? The Vancouver Public Library's new Inspiration Lab (not innovation lab, inspiration space, or innovation space) embodies the idea of a digital maker space. Sam has been working in the new space for the past month and tells us all about the space, its facilities, its programming, and its hopes and dreams.
Jun 08, 201500:00
Episode Sixty - "Both Sides Now" (Live from BCLC 2015)

Episode Sixty - "Both Sides Now" (Live from BCLC 2015)

We had the great pleasure of moderating a panel on the intersections among different library professionals at this year's British Columbia Library Conference. It was a fascinating, frank and inspiring conversation, and we're glad to be able to bring it to you. Watch for a similar panel at the upcoming CHLA Conference. Voices you'll hear: Christina Neigel is Associate Professor in the Library and Information Technology Department at the University of the Fraser Valley. She is currently completing a Doctorate in Education at Simon Fraser University with a research focus on the role of gender in LIS leadership. Pat Cumming is the Information Services Department Head at West Vancouver Memorial Library. She holds a Library Technician Diploma from Algonquin College in Ottawa and an MLIS from the University of Western Ontario. Her career in libraries spans more than 30 years and includes work as a library technician, librarian and departmental manager. She has experience in public, academic, school and special libraries. She also serves on the BCLA Mentorship Committee. Tamarack Hockin is a Library Technician with Surrey Libraries. Holding a LIT Diploma and Bachelor’s degree from UFV, Tamarack is also an MLIS candidate at San Jose State University. Ashley Van Dijk graduated in 2009 with her Library and Information Technology diploma, and is currently working at SFU Burnaby in the Information and Instruction division. Ashley is the Chair of the Library Technicians Assistants Section of BCLA.
May 27, 201501:23:53
Episode Fifty-Nine - "I don’t think we should throw any babies out with any bathwater here."

Episode Fifty-Nine - "I don’t think we should throw any babies out with any bathwater here."

Mind Grapes: We're all compliments with our TV shows. Sam's been catching up on the surprisingly amazing sixth season of Community. Dan Harmon is back in all of his glory, making the season sweet, funny, and totally weird. Alli has been watching Rob Thomas's wonderful new program iZombie and has another new TV crush. Don't worry Charlie Cox, I still love you. Class Z(ed): For the past several weeks, Alli's mind has been steeped in the newest document from the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. It's certainly an interesting read, but it does have some challenging ideas and perhaps a more challenging implementation strategy. Is your institution putting it into practice? Tell us how!
May 12, 201500:00
Episode Fifty-Eight - "Sort of a sad, sexy puppy dog."

Episode Fifty-Eight - "Sort of a sad, sexy puppy dog."

MIND GRAPES: OK, so yes, we each talk about a thing - but this week's grapes are about 75% Daredevil, which Alli loved for more than just Charlie Cox's abs, she swears. Also Jon just binge-listened to Serial, and brings us up to date on the case. Plus Sam is really into Backstrom - maybe a little too much. NERD ALERT!: What's the deal with being a Dungeon Master? If you want to run a tabletop roleplaying game for your friends (or to make friends!), where should you start? What can you expect from the experience - and from the players? And would it make a good library program? Jon's the veteran DM, having run a dozen or so RPGs; Sam's the neophyte, being in the midst of running her first; Alli has played in both.
Apr 28, 201501:34:30
Episode Fifty-Seven - "And then I laughed maniacally for like, 20 minutes."

Episode Fifty-Seven - "And then I laughed maniacally for like, 20 minutes."

This week... Mind Grapes: Sam has been doing some reading inbetween a re-watch of Downton Abbey. In a similar vein, we discuss her reading of Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day and discuss some of our other favourite upstairs/downstairs things. Alli has been playing BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins and is loving it. We talk about BioWare's amazing attention to story and character as well as some awesome adventure games for the non-combat inclined. Class Z(ed): We have had some great interviews with our recently graduated friends about their first jobs out of school. This week, that spotlight turns to Alli as she discusses her first few months as the Instructional Services Librarian at a local community college. We talk about some of the job duties, keeping up with instruction trends, and working with a small group of amazing colleagues.
Apr 14, 201501:00:35
Episode Fifty-Six - "...bring a little bit of magic back into the world."

Episode Fifty-Six - "...bring a little bit of magic back into the world."

BiblioFiles: We have a whole episode today discussing one of the latest popular representations of librarianship in media, TNT's series The Librarians. Following the made-for-TV movies, The Librarians follows newcomers to the magical library that contains the world's remaning magical artifacts. But how well does it do? We have Adena for a fellow librarian/archivist perspective and Kat as our architecture expert and library layman. Is The Librarians really about librarians? Let's decide that together.
Mar 09, 201500:00
Episode Fifty-Five - "It was an incredible thing to be in the middle of."

Episode Fifty-Five - "It was an incredible thing to be in the middle of."

Mind Grapes: Sam says Yes, Please to Amy Poehler's memoirs; Alli thoroughly enjoyed the colourful zaniness of Kingsman: The Secret Service. Nerd Alert!: It's finally that time - Sam recaps her experiences on JoCo Cruise 5, talking about the performances, the activities, and the people that make it such a special trip and remarkable community.
Feb 24, 201500:00
Episode Fifty-Four - "Subtlety instead of sullenness."

Episode Fifty-Four - "Subtlety instead of sullenness."

Mind Grapes: Sam and Alli have a very movie heavy couple of weeks. Sam talks soapboxes and lack of soapboxes with the newest version of Annie and the freshly snubbed film Selma about the civil rights movement. Alli talks The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, the latest Hunger Games movie, and touches briefly on Into the Woods. Where do we put this?: So, no surprise, we have been very, very busy. So how to we keep track of all that? What are our personal organization systems when it comes to balancing work, social lives, D&D games, and many other commitments? Alli talks about the pen-and-paper system that she's been trying out in the form of the Bullet Journal. Sam discusses the difficulties in finding programs that do everything we want them to when it comes to organization. Get it touch - how do you keep your life together?
Jan 26, 201557:13
Episode Fifty-Three - "The Lone Arranger, with a mask and a staple remover."

Episode Fifty-Three - "The Lone Arranger, with a mask and a staple remover."

Mind Grapes: Alli's been getting back to some older, yet awesome, T.V. with back episodes of Leverage. Robert's been getting some awesome indie game action with Year Walk. Inspired by her interview with Writers and Company, Sam reads the late P.D. James's most recent book Death Comes to Pemberley. Class Z(ed): We continue our series of interviewing friends who have just gotten their first jobs out of school, but this time, with an awesome twist! Our dear friend Robert McLelland completed a Masters of Archival Studies at the University of British Columbia this spring and has landed an awesome first job as a local community archivist. He tells us a bit about the differences in the job hunting process, some of his day-to-day work, and how the degree in Archival Studies has shaped and informed his view of the profession.
Jan 13, 201501:00:23
Episode Fifty-Two - "Let's check in with Intern Jon."

Episode Fifty-Two - "Let's check in with Intern Jon."

Mega Mind Grapes! We go through the top ten things we loved this year. The only caveat - it had to be made this year (or be a series that continued into this year). Jon also drops in to give us his rapid-fire top ten (it's mostly horror video games). We also do a part of a year-end quiz that recaps our year and gets ready for the new one.
Dec 30, 201400:00
Episode Fifty-One - "The Porn Police."

Episode Fifty-One - "The Porn Police."

This week... Mind Grapes: Alli is all about voiceover, having watched both the documentary I Know That Voice and Lake Bell's In a World. Having finally gotten to see Gone Girl, Sam is on a Gillian Flynn kick, reading Sharp Objects and Dark Places. Class Z(ed): Last week, we attended a talk given by Michael Vonn of the BC Civil Liberties Association regarding a change of policy in VPL's Internet Use Policy that prohibits the viewing of "sexually explicit materials" on library workstations. While they have some good explanations, we discuss our own opinions (and certainly not those of our employers) why the problems with this policy may run deeper than they look.
Dec 02, 201450:07
Episode Fifty - "Oh my god, is this our fiftieth episode?"

Episode Fifty - "Oh my god, is this our fiftieth episode?"

We're Alli & Sam. We met in a pub the night before our first day of library school, and since then we've been through a lot together - classes, jobs, weddings, D&D campaigns - always finding ourselves engrossed in wide-ranging conversations about television, film, books, technology, and what it means to be a young, nerdy, lady librarian in the 21st century. This podcast is our invitation to you to join our conversation. We hope you'll join us by sending in a question, comment, or topic for us to discuss on the show!
Nov 17, 201457:10
Episode Forty-Nine - "It all starts with a GIF of the Pope..."

Episode Forty-Nine - "It all starts with a GIF of the Pope..."

Mind Grapes: Glowing recommendations all around today. Sam extols the virtues of the new movie Birdman starring Michael Keaton, and it sounds like an amazing commentary on the super hero genre mixed with innovative cinematography. Alli has been getting into Canadian journalism through the podcast Canadaland, produced by Jesse Brown. Both are work checking out for sure. Where Do We Put This?: In a very special conversation, we recap a recent opportunity to discuss the future of libraries and technology with author and activist Cory Doctorow. In this amazing but brief encounter, VPL library staff and Doctorow ingaged in an enlightening and inspiring conversation that get us super riled up about technology, the changing nature of library collections, and how to better connect with our patrons through information literacy and digital literacy education. Please let us know what you think about all these extremely important developments!
Nov 03, 201401:03:47
Episode Forty-Eight - "Even Lance Armstrong planned better than that!"

Episode Forty-Eight - "Even Lance Armstrong planned better than that!"

Mind Grapes: A well rounded mind grapes today, we have a play in the form of Educating Rita, Mary's been watching the new show Jane the Virgin, and Sam has been catching some of the extensive backlog of CBC's Writers and Company. Class Z(ed)/Where Do We Put This?: For the last few months, our first mate Mary has been acting as a Community Representative for the Digital Public Library of America. This amazing organization aggregates collections of freely available totally awesome collections from around the U.S. while advocating for freedom of information, open source, and creative commons licensing. They also offer opportunities to create apps for their collections - how cool is that? Currently they are also running a GIF contest! Create GIFs using the DPLA collection and submit them here!
Oct 27, 201401:10:56
Episode Forty-Seven - "We're recording late. Can you tell?"

Episode Forty-Seven - "We're recording late. Can you tell?"

Mind Grapes: It's all shows this week, both in the formof the new-time podcast in the form of old-time radio, Thrilling Adventure Hour, and Shonda Rhimes' new melodrama vehicle How to Get Away with Murder. We also discuss some recent articles about Shonda Rhimes and our love of Bradley Whitford. Class Z(ed): It's a new job checkpoint. A couple of months ago, we walked you through our job hunting process when we both got our jobs. Now, a month or so in, we tell you a bit about auxiliary work at a public library and doing reference at the academic. What have we learned so far and what skills are we using the most?
Oct 06, 201401:05:53
Episode Forty-Six - "Her skin was the colour of cheesecake, delightfully creamy..."

Episode Forty-Six - "Her skin was the colour of cheesecake, delightfully creamy..."

Mind Grapes: We are all doing reading, whether in hardcover, audiobook, or web serial. Sam suffered some disappointment in We are Not Ourselves. Nadia has had her nose in her phone reading Worm. Alli's commute has been accompanied by the audiobook of The Maze Runner and lunches by American Gods. Class Z(ed): Nadia is a real MLIS success story. A little over a year after graduation, Nadia tells us all about her amazing job as the Academic Technologies Librarian at Mount Mercy University. She tells us about the tech and people she works with and what skills gathered at library school has served her best in the professional world. Please rate and review us on iTunes, buy buttons from our wonderful store, donate to our show, or share us with your librarian or nerdy friends!
Sep 29, 201401:09:41
Episode Forty-Five - "But I only have one more paragraph!"

Episode Forty-Five - "But I only have one more paragraph!"

This week, with very special guest Jennifer Lee.. Mind Grapes: Alli enjoyed some end of summer live entertainment with Bard on the Beach's production of The Tempest. Jen gets an advanced look at If I Stay. Sam remains inspired by the Book Camp authors and reads The End of East by Jen Sookfong Lee. Class Z(ed): Jen and Sam were the leads for Vancouver Public Library's Teen Writing and Book Camp this year. They talk about pulling off a week-long event for over 100 tweens and teens, the challenges of large-scale planning, and the rewards that come with creating a unique, safe, and creative space for a group of talented and enthusicastic young writers. Please rate and review us on iTunes, buy buttons from our wonderful store, donate to our show, or share us with your librarian or nerdy friends!
Sep 15, 201401:08:36
Episode Forty-Four - "A child was more likely to get Infinite Jest... or Lady Chatterley's Lover."

Episode Forty-Four - "A child was more likely to get Infinite Jest... or Lady Chatterley's Lover."

This week, with special guests Melanie Cassidy, Jonathan Kift, Anna Ferri and Matthew Murray... Mega Mind Grapes: It is our one year anniversary!! How exciting! We have an amazing round-table mind grapes for you today that includes some return guests and one new voice (that will, surely, be on again). The prompt we gave was "tell us something you have done or discovered in the last year" and we got some fantasic discussion ranging from adult digital literacy education to Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Get in touch with us and tell us what you've fallen in love with this year! Also, please rate and review us on iTunes, buy buttons from our wonderful store, donate to our show, or share us with your librarian or nerdy friends!
Sep 08, 201456:51
Episode Forty-Three - "I can do it my damn self!"

Episode Forty-Three - "I can do it my damn self!"

Mind Grapes: Sam's been reading Susin Nielsen's absorbing, overlapping tales of Vancouver teens after catching the YA bug at Book Camp; Constance is all about Oscar Wilde right now, including big works and small, and reminds us of the nuance lost in some modern adaptations; Alli - in fact, all of us - LOVED Guardians of the Galaxy, but can see where it could have been even better. Where Do We Put This?: Constance is here to tell us about bringing steampunk into the library. She's developed a toolkit for creating library displays, programs, reading lists, and even educational content for kids and adults related to the genre, aesthetic, and attitude of steampunk. Visit the Steampunk Library, email or tweet at Constance, or check out some of the steampunk works she suggests, including Soulless by Gail Carriger, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, The Gentlemen of Steampunk by Evan Butterfield, and the Steamposium convention, where she'll be appearing next month!
Aug 25, 201401:05:00
Episode Forty-Two - "There wasn't a dry eye in the place..."

Episode Forty-Two - "There wasn't a dry eye in the place..."

After a longer hiatus than usual, we're back with an ALA recap and some book recommendations for you all - DISCLAIMER: we know the audio is wonky on this one - the audio setup at our guest's end wasn't the best, and we also neglected to ask him to wear headphones to prevent echo. Unfortunately the reverb is in the raw recording, so there's nothing we can do this time - but we thought this was such a great conversation, we wanted to bring it to you anyway. Listen to it on low volume and it shouldn't be too intrusive! Mind Grapes: Alli's jumped on the Divergent train; Jason's been rediscovering critical works on an old favourite, Lord Dunsany; Sam's been rooting for the girl supervillain in The Girl Who Would Be King. Class Z(ed): Our good friend Jason Korff attended this year's American Library Association Conference in Las Vegas, which included appearances by Lois Lowry, Lemony Snicket, and even Stan Lee! He's here to talk to us about his experiences as a new librarian attending our largest professional gathering.
Aug 18, 201401:05:03
Episode Forty-One - "What do you mean a robot kid is creepy?"

Episode Forty-One - "What do you mean a robot kid is creepy?"

Mind Grapes: Alli's been going down a podcast rabbit hole with Kevin Allison's Risk Podcast on the Max Fun network. Sam is cautiously optimistic about new Sci-Fi television in the form of Extant. Class Z(ed): We put together an oft-requested conversation about the job hunting process. Both Sam and Alli have had some leaps forward recently by scoring their first jobs out of library school. Moving from the search through to the interview, we give our tips and advice about what the process looked like for us. We would like to add the disclaimer that this is our extremely subjective view - things may be very different where you are - but we would love to hear what the job hunt looks like from all sides. So let us know what you think!
Jul 28, 201401:08:22
Episode Forty - "I want to go on record as saying that I don't think ALL Star Wars fans are fascists..."

Episode Forty - "I want to go on record as saying that I don't think ALL Star Wars fans are fascists..."

Mind Grapes: Sam saw Monty Python Live (Mostly); Jon's all about the Dying Earth this week; and Alli's been bingewatching lady coming-of-age stories. NERD ALERT!: Jon sits in for the inaugural edition of a new segment where we tackle issues in nerd culture - this week, a freewheeling, wide-ranging conversation about what it means to be a "fan", and why it is that we use fandom to define ourselves and create connections with each other.
Jul 22, 201401:24:20
Episode Thirty-Nine - "The organizational force is strong in me."

Episode Thirty-Nine - "The organizational force is strong in me."

Mind Grapes: Sam watches last year's Oscar winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom about the history and lives of back-up singers. Alli gets out and gets running with the app Zombies, RUN! - a combination storytelling, run tracking, and motivational running program. Where do we put this?: Alli had been using her plethora of free time to do a great bookshelf re-organization. We talk about how we've organized our (many) books and where that drive in us comes from. We also want to know - how do you organize your books? Special Segment: We answer some questions we got through a fan email! We've talked previously about how we survived the MLIS, but what do you do when it's a fully online program? We have a few ideas, but are also interested in hearing what you have to say.
Jul 14, 201453:21
Episode Thirty-Eight - "I knew in my heart that it was cool to be smart."

Episode Thirty-Eight - "I knew in my heart that it was cool to be smart."

Mind Grapes: We're all about the summer movies this week - Alli was touched by the just-sweet-enough Jon Favreau vehicle Chef, and Sam has sore ribs from giggling her way though 22 Jump Street. Where Do We Put This?: We jump in, finally, to the #ireadYA conversation, talking about the books that shaped us, and the ones we still see as important for adults to delve into.
Jul 07, 201401:05:49
Episode Thirty-Seven - "It's more about the feels than the science."

Episode Thirty-Seven - "It's more about the feels than the science."

This week with special guests Tamarack Hockin and Ashley Van Dijk... Mind Grapes: Alli is going back to vintage strategy games with Heroes of Might and Magic III: Restoration of Erathia. Ashley is following up on recommendations with Lev Grossman's The Magicians. Tamarack is reading catching up with teen land reading with the The Lunar Chronicals by Marissa Meyer and All our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, both virtually visiting the Surrey Public Library Teen Reading Club this summer by online chat. Sam finally got on the Wicked bandwagon with the tour that swept through Vancouver this week. We also discuss video game difficulty, time travel mechanics, and the Diana Gabaldon Outlander series. Class Z(ed): Ashley and Tamarack are library technicians - a designation that many of us were unaware of before entering the library world. We discuss the differences between the MLIS and Lib Tech education and job duties. We also touch on the relationship between librarians and techs and how to build those relationships in more productive ways. Bottom line: we are all colleagues - let's make libraries awesome together. Love the show? Show your S.S. Librarianship pride! Buy a button!
Jun 16, 201401:17:17
Episode Thirty-Six - "I'm paid to be better at Google than you."

Episode Thirty-Six - "I'm paid to be better at Google than you."

This week, with very special guest Kate Tkacik... Mind Grapes: Sam has been utterly charmed by a certain fictional community radio host; Kate has embarked on a year of female authors, and has something old and something new to recommend; Alli's been enjoying a lighter American take on a supernatural British drama. Class Z(ed): We're honoured this week to have Kate Tkacik on board to talk to us about her path to librarianship - from building collections and programming for at-risk youth, to library school and Library Journal, to her current gig as a Research Analyst for the BMO group. We also discuss the genesis of the Tumblarians movement, and the importance of outreach, community-building, and putting a human face on your work in every library context.
Jun 10, 201401:05:44
Episode Thirty-Five - "A mirror of something like the neighbourhood house or welcome centre."

Episode Thirty-Five - "A mirror of something like the neighbourhood house or welcome centre."

Mind Grapes: Alli gets to the art-house cinema to get some vampire movie action with Only Lovers Left Alive. Sam has been seeing some improv comedy, but also binging on The Good Wife on NetFlix. Class Z: We talk about Sam's experience at the Research Commons at UBC. We talk about how we need these kinds of spaces to serve the graduate student and faculty communities in our universities - a user base that we often take for granted but can't any more. We hit on programming, workshops, and providing the space to get graduate students out of their lonely silos.
Jun 02, 201455:22
Episode Thirty-Four - "Strange, flexible problem solvers."

Episode Thirty-Four - "Strange, flexible problem solvers."

Mind Grapes: Sam's been listening to Sheezus, and finds it a little diluted by domestic bliss; David's been stepping out of his comfort zone with The Famished Road and World War Z, but also returning to an old favourite (House); Alli's been reading two very different books, both by boundary-pushing women - Mindy Kaling's memoir and Kathryn Boo's exploration of Indian slum life. Where Do We Put This?: David is here to engage us in conversation about the library as a vessel for the public imagination. Among other topics, our wide-ranging conversation touches on the reference interaction as teachable moment, the librarian as guide and listener, and the library as a space that needs to balance present needs and future potentials.
May 26, 201401:10:27
Episode Thirty-Three: "Speaking of sexy things... English Language Dictionaries."

Episode Thirty-Three: "Speaking of sexy things... English Language Dictionaries."

We're Alli & Sam. We met in a pub the night before our first day of library school, and since then we've been through a lot together - classes, jobs, weddings, D&D campaigns - always finding ourselves engrossed in wide-ranging conversations about television, film, books, technology, and what it means to be a young, nerdy, lady librarian in the 21st century. This podcast is our invitation to you to join our conversation. We hope you'll join us by sending in a question, comment, or topic for us to discuss on the show!
May 14, 201446:27