Ace Owls!

If your library doesn't have the diverse books you want and you're comfortable talking with (usually very friendly and helpful) people, you can also talk with someone on staff. In addition to the purchase recommendation form, they may have an agreement with other libraries to borrow the books from them for you. This helps two libraries! Your local library learns that more people want diverse books, so they are more likely to buy them in the future. The other library gets check-outs, so they know people are reading their diverse books.

If you don't have time to read, look for diverse audiobooks, CDs, and DVDs! If it's hard for you to get to the library, look at their website or call/email them. They may have pickup lockers in different areas of town or even a delivery service. They probably have eBooks, eAudiobooks, and/or streaming music and movies that you can check out from home.

Friendly reminder that if you talk about how representation is important and how there's not enough diverse media, I implore you to seek out the media that already exists. And if you live in an area with a public library, go to see if they're available at your public library. And then go check them out.

As a librarian, it is demoralizing to see how low the circulation statistics are on lgbt+ books and books by BIPOC authors. I include them in displays and readers advisory, but people still don't check them out as much. Libraries only have a finite amount of resources, including space. We don't get a book then keep it forever. If not enough people check it out, we have to get rid of it to make room for more books. And when James Patterson Book #69 gets checked out 30 times in one year and cool, subversive Sci fi novel with a Black trans woman main character has never been checked out once, the librarian (me) has to make a hard decision.

If you're looking for something tangible and easy to do this pride month, look for lgbt+ books (there are millions of lists online that you can find. It's easier than it's ever been to find diverse books) and check them out from your library.

No time to read? Look for a short story or poetry anthology and just read as much as you have time for. Or just check out a book cus it looks interesting and read as much as you can. We have movies too.

As cool as it would be for me to just keep the books I want and get rid of the ones I don't, I have to listen to the community on matters of collection development. And the community tells me what books they want by checking them out and leaving the ones they don't want on the shelf.

If you think this doesn't apply to you because you live in a progressive area and obviously the books are being checked out, you're wrong. I once worked in a community with a large lgbt population. Those books were not getting checked out. If you want to tell me you live in a conservative area and your library doesn't have any diverse books, you are legally obligated to check the catalog before replying to this post. I currently work in a conservative community and we have lgbt+ and bipoc books. And if you still cannot find any, you are legally obligated to see if your library has a collection request form that patrons can fill out before replying to this post.

Squee!  Happy pride dragons!!

Some little pride flag dragons I made in honor of Pride month!!! Happy Pride month everyone!!!!!!!!!!

Stickers are avaliable Here

It’s horrible that this is necessary, but I’m glad there are people who do it.

Three cheers for these guys [x]

I’m a day late for the luck, but these are adorable rabbits.

Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits

Reblog this on the first of the month for good luck all month long!

I'm having a pretty good day, but I can definitely relate to this poem.  It's one of my favorites, and it works very well with yesterday's poem. My daily posting for National Poetry Month continues with a total stranger one black day by e. e. cummings.

I laughed so hard I woke up the cat.  Now he’s staring at me, trying to decide whether he needs to be concerned about this.

I laughed a lot. (x)

Here’s to second chances.  (And third and fourth, and completely new chances at something different.)

I am turning 26 very soon, and a week ago I lost my chance at a life and a love better than my dreams, mostly by my own fault. I am applying to the birthday unending in hope that I can hide from my pain and anger until I learn not to hide from myself anymore, and never again to let others carry me through my choices. I bring words that I cannot say out loud, no gender to be seen, many languages to tell stories in, some pig blood and human tears, and a few bundles of rope. May I please come in?

OH, CHILD.

COME HERE.  WE MUST SPEAK TO YOU.

THERE ARE CHANCES WHICH COME AND CHANCES WHICH GO, CHOICES WHICH ARE RIGHT AND CHOICES WHICH ARE WRONG, BUT WE SAY THIS TO YOU, AND WE HOPE AND PRAY YOU WILL LISTEN, THAT YOU WILL BELIEVE, FOR WE MAY NEVER SAY ANYTHING THIS IMPORTANT AGAIN:

SO LONG AS YOU HERE, SO LONG AS YOU ARE DRAWING BREATH, THERE IS NO LAST CHANCE AT A BETTER LIFE.  EVERY DAY IS ANOTHER CHANCE, ANOTHER SERIES OF BEAUTIFUL OPPORTUNITIES, AND SOME OF THEM MAY PASS BY UNNOTICED, WHILE OTHERS CAN BE CAUGHT, AND HELD, AND NURTURED.  YOU ARE NOT DONE YET.  YOU ARE NOT LOST.  WHAT YOU DID NOT GAIN WILL BE BALANCED IN THE FUTURE YET TO COME, WHICH IS BIG, AND BEAUTIFUL, AND WILL GIVE YOU SO MANY MORE CHANCES.

SO MANY MORE.

HERE IS YOUR PLACE AT THE TABLE.  HERE IS YOUR CONICAL HAT.  HERE IS TIME, CHILD, TIME TO LEARN AND GROW AND UNDERSTAND, TIME TO FIND YOURSELF AND LOSE YOURSELF AND BECOME SOMEONE NEW, SOMEONE YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE.  HERE IS TIME.  TREASURE IT.

WELCOME TO THE BIRTHDAY.  WELCOME TO THE BIRTHDAY.  WELCOME TO THE BIRTHDAY UNENDING.

I’m not sure I’d want to do that to Mothman.

reblog if you ARE JEWISH, if you SUPPORT JEWISH PEOPLE, or if you WANT ALL NEONAZIS TO BE CARRIED OFF BY MOTHMAN

This is great advice.  Does anyone know if it works for MD-shopping as well?

How do you (“how does one”) shop for a therapist?

Can you call up a therapist and be like “hi, I’m therapist shopping”? Can you schedule an appointment with a therapist and then be like “actually I have some questions and I want to spend part of this appointment talking about your practice and whether or not it is garbage?”? Are you expected to phone interview/screen your therapists if you are shopping around for a therapist?

If you’re seeing one therapist are you supposed to/not supposed to tell them if you start seeing another therapist? Is it possible to cheat on your therapist?