The Office Decorations of a Director

A while back, before I became a library director, I had a very particular way of decorating my office. It was nerd central, but also it was occasionally vulgar. In fact, I wrote about it back in the (almost) beginning of this blog. Almost six years later, I have definitely changed the way my work space is decorated.

The thing about decorating your office is that it really does send a certain message to the people who visit you. Yes, you want it to reflect your personality, but that's not the only consideration. You want to make sure you are sending the message with your decor that you actually want to send, instead of something you're sending by accident. When I was an instruction coordinator (which was my job at the time I wrote that first post, if not my title), I wanted to be seen as irreverent and yet intelligent. Hard working and yet able to have fun. The truth was, though, that my office was likely a bit off-putting. I'm 99% sure it was Jim DelRosso who told me his office decorations are consciously not as nerdy as he is because he wants to make sure people feel welcome in his office. That comment really stuck with me. I still stand by the prevalence of vulgarities in that office - the word "fuck" is really just a word and I wish people would see it as such - but I haven't used that decorating style again in my current circumstances. As a director, I'm supposed to be setting a tone not just for myself but also for the rest of the department. So now, I have just as much nerdy vibe as before, but it's subtler and, in a way, prettier.

As you can see from the pictures I have below, I am not hiding my nerd in any way. I am still Nerd Supreme - a fact that is evidenced by being the advisor for the nerdy student group on campus. I'm just not as vulgar and my displayed tastes are slightly more diverse.

The love rat is still there. As is Fake Roy. But there's also a Benjamin Franklin quote and my tail from my Halloween costume.

My boy, Usagi Yojimbo. It wouldn't really be my office without Usagi, and this is the signed poster that Ranti Junus got for me years ago.

Yes, that's a stuffy elephant. If you squeeze it, out comes the most obnoxious imitation of an elephant trumpeting. Also, the poster from ACRL 2013 - Henry Rollins is a beautiful man and he had us all eating out of the palm of his hands at that keynote.

Guster is my favorite band, so of course I have a poster of theirs up in my office. Having this up in my office helped me bond with my union president - Guster is his favorite band, too!

Yes, that's my "Detective Comics" #643. And a Chewbacca Pez dispenser. But also the library's mission, vision, and values statements; the 2017-2018 academic calendar; specifics of the standing pizza order I place occasionally for the club I advise; my mini Sarah Donner shrine; and so much more.

Is it obvious that it's the same person? Even if you couldn't see so many of the same items, I think it's obvious. Just a more welcoming version.

How about you? Do you have any rules for how you decorate your office? Please share in the comments!

To Shush Or Not To Shush, Revisited: Or, The Revenge of the Shusher

@olinj re: LTAYL have you yet revisited past posts where you would give different advice now vs then?

— S Bryce Kozla (@PLSanders) April 25, 2017

I loved that idea, but haven't had a chance to revisit anything because stuff keeps coming up. However, in the lull between semesters and in between outrageous legislation, I decided to revisit the idea of whether or not shushing people in the library is a good idea.

I have to admit that my advice isn't terribly different, but I do have more specific advice to give than I did in my original post.

1. I try to gauge my reaction based on others. I'm hyper aware of noise around me, for whatever reason, and am especially hypersensitive to noise in the library. If something is bothering me, but nobody else seems fussed, I let it go. On the other hand, if I see annoyed expressions from students in the library, I go into action.

2. I work to make sure that people have different kinds of spaces in my library, if possible. Study rooms are ideal, but designating one part of the library for noise can also help keep things quiet. If all else fails, and the library is too small for those kinds of distinctions, making ear plugs available can help so much.

3. I keep the community served by my library and the time of semester/year in mind. Everything I'm writing here is down to the academic library thing. Like the fact that at the beginning of the semester, it is going to be loud. It just is. If it's during break, noise might be more noticeable but it's also less worrisome. During mid-terms and exams, though, when stress is running high...? I'm ruthless.

4. I try to be mindful of the shushing stereotype, but sometimes it can't be helped. Instead, I play into it for the humor of the situation. I remember telling a group of football players, at a previous job, "hey, don't make me be a stereotype and have to shush you." That worked for a while! Later that week I had to pull out the big guns - "don't make me tell your coach about this." Actually, humor is always a good method to get college students to be more considerate of other library patrons.

5. I don't take it personally when things get loud in the library. I mean, how can I take it personally when it's high stress making people act out? Or when a member of the staff laughs so loudly because they forgot for a second where they were? It's not meant as a personal attack, so I try to be kind and see it from the loud person's perspective.


The approach has worked for me for years now. I've even been thanked by students for reminding noisy people that it's exams and people are stressed. It's a careful balance of letting things roll off while still paying attention, but it has been worth it.

What about you? How do you approach noise in the library?

First Thursday's Just For Fun: Crazy for Cross-Stitch

Because I am not enough of a walking/talking librarian stereotype, I have recently picked up a new hobby: crafting. More specifically, counted cross-stitch. I actually learned how to do cross-stitch when I was a teenager, but hadn't done more with the skill until fairly recently. But now? Now I've become obsessed. Here are my favorites of the projects I've completed:

This hummingbird was my gateway drug to an addiction that is only soothed with a trip to a craft store to purchase Aida cloth and embroidery thread:

Pretty, right?

I worked really hard to make the background of the next one look like a partly cloudy sky, so I'm extremely pleased with how it turned out.

This quote is from the sixth of the volumes that collected Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman" comics.

And this is the project I just finished. I don't remember where I first encountered this line from Lemony Snicket (a.k.a. Daniel Handler), but it tickled me so much that it quickly became a favorite. When I started this down the road to xstitch addiction, I knew I had to do something with this quote.

Sounds advice, especially considering the expression the Persian in the middle is wearing.

I just finished that last one, but I'm already planning my next project. It's more along the lines of what I did with the Neil Gaiman quote, but this time it's inspired by and features a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke.

So what about you? Are you a crafter? If so, what's your poison?

Making My Office My Own

Warning: there are some pictures and words that qualify as "Not Safe For Work" in this post (blue language). Well, not safe for some work places. They are obviously safe for mine, since this week I'm writing about how I have my office decorated.

You see, when I got my first professional position, I played it super safe with decorating my office. No toys to speak of, posters that anyone anywhere would post, and nothing of consequence (other than my name plate) on my door. My current office couldn't be more different. I can always tell when someone hasn't been in my work abode before, even if I don't remember. Eyes get big. Sometimes mouths drop open. It's so much fun to watch people who have never been in here before. As you can see from the pictures below, there's a lot to look at in my office. Truth is, there's plenty more that I haven't shown you, but I figured this would be enough to give you an idea.

You see, my office really does reflect me and my personality. As I've said before, and as I'll probably say again, letting my personality show (read: letting my nerd flag fly) enhances my relationship with my community.

Here's the sight that greets people as they approach my office:

Yes, you do see multiple representations of Chewbacca. And of Barbara Gordon.

I also have a couple of bulletin boards that are worth sharing:

Read a Fucking Book

Honk If You're a Believer

I've also got toys...

Love Rat FTW!

And comic books...

Pride of place (middle slot) goes to my favorite comic publisher.

So, why am I sharing this with you? Other than showing off my rad collection, I mean. I'm sharing it to once again exhort you to be yourself. I work in a place where I'm not only allowed to be myself, I'm valued for who I am. You don't have to be as extreme in your decoration. After all, I have posted six instances the f-bomb, or derivations thereof: three on this picture, one on this, one in this comic, and then the lovely bumper sticker that was a gift of a member of our communication department.

And that's what I wish for you. Even if you don't have it now, I hope you eventually get to work in a place that doesn't just value your librarian skills, that values you as a whole person.

For those of you who have an office (or cubicle), what kinds of stuff do you have in there? Toys? Posters from a fantastic concert? Pictures of your pet ferret?

First Thursday's Just For Fun: There's No Getting Away From Stereotypes

If you haven't watched it yet, take four minutes and watch the video for "Out of the Game" by Rufus Wainwright.

As some have pointed out, there's no denying that Helena Bonham Carter makes a fabulous librarian in this video. If nothing else, I covet her frames. Also, check out those amazing shoes.


Even still, I'm bothered by the stereotype portrayed.Contrary to what you might think, it's not the sexy librarian stuff that's bothering me. I actually get a kick out of that particular stereotype. No, what bothers me is the "working at a library is so boring and she's got nothing to do" aspect. I always have more to do than I have time to do it, and I know this is true of librarians in every kind of library. Why do people think we do nothing all day? 


It's not worth getting too upset about, I know, but it is irking me a bit. What do you all think?

To Shush, or Not To Shush, That Is the Question...

...Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageously noisy library patrons, or to ask them to be quiet, and by opposing end the noise. (My apologies to William Shakespeare for this bastardization of his work.)

Picture of Librarian Action Figure from Archie McPhee.

Sometimes I hate asking people in my library to be quiet. Partly it's because of the stereotype of the thing. It always makes me feel like I'm riffing on that scene from Ghostbusters where they first encounter a real ghost. Then there's the fact that it was one of the standard jokes my friends trotted out when I explained that I was going to get a master's degree in library and information science. "You need a master's degree to be a librarian? What are you going to take first? Shushing 101?" The main reason I hate it, though, is because I want members of my community to feel comfortable in my library. We never stop students from napping in here and we don't really mind when they move furniture around. I buy popular reading materials and host gaming events. My entire career has been about trying to get people to come into the library, and part of me worries that if I shush them too much they won't want to come back.

And yet, there comes a point when you just have to tell people to hush. I try to be polite about it, as in: "I'm going to have to ask you to be a bit quieter. Your voices are carrying." If that doesn't work, I get a bit more forceful: "You need to be quieter in this area." Once in a while, I even cite a higher power (on campus): "Don't make me tell your coach about this." Earlier this week I had to shush a group of student workers - sure this is their workplace, but it's still a library. Besides, I know that the library is valued by students in our community precisely because it's a quiet place they can study.

So what do you think? How do you feel about maintaining quiet or even silent parts of the library? Am I being too stuffy?