A Classic DOA Cartoon

In the early days of DOA I did a lot of cartoons. I don't even remember this one, but I like it.  I should do more.  I actually like Detective Openshut. He may appear again.

Note: Bitstrips doesn't allow you to create cartoons anymore so Detective Openshut will look a little different next time.  Another favorite comic creator Toonlet also seems to be gone, alas.

On The Desk Closing Time

I'm sorting through my many scraps of paper from my work days when I'd jot down books to read and ideas for comics on scraps of paper. Using the ideas, tossing the scraps. Click to enlarge, as they say!

On the Desk: Books by Grade

I've been thinking lately there will be comics...   Why wait?  Yesterday I was working at The Big Library as we call it here. 

I had three questions in a row wherein people wanted books for their children and they needed it for first, third and fourth grade readers.  The children weren't there to help pick out what suited them reading level wise or subject wise.  This makes it really a working semi-blind situation, but I was able in each case to give the parents several options to take away for their kids and they were happy.


Click to enlarge, as always.

Library of Congress Teacher's Guide to Primary Sources

It appears the great LC blogs and here's one we librarians can use for all those kids and their papers needing "Primary Sources".

The Library of Congress Teachers Page: Resources for Getting Started with Primary Sources


Click to Enlarge

The D.O.A. Files: Library Roll-Play

Even in a place where most things can be borrowed for free, some things JUST DISAPPEAR, causing problems for everyone who deals with these unexpected losses.

Click to Enlarge

Shelf Check

My third or so time around on Facebook I'm happy with the many good and interesting folks and sites I've found.

There is that snarky saying going around that Facebook is the people you went to school with and Twitter is the people you wish you went to school with. Silly Tweeters. Facebook seems more like a community, whereas Twitter still reads like an often nonsensical newsfeed.

I recently found a library comic called Shelf Check on Facebook.

The subtitle under the profile picture is "May you work the reference desk in interesting times". Amen to that, brother (sister, whatever). The times don't get more interesting than these at the reference desk.

In just a few panes, the cartoonist captures the utter absurdities that we deal with from all fronts. It makes me feel better to know that BIZARRE THINKING IS GOING ON ALL OVER.



I found this on Facebook but there is a blog for Shelf Check where the cartoons appear if you don't want to show your fannishness on Facebook. Hmmmm she uses the comic strip creator Toondoo. I thought I recognized the style. She uses it far better than I can though. Nice work!

When is a question not a question? During Survey Week!

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We are always counting what we do so that we can report on the state of things in the library world. As with any sort of statistical presentation, we apparently only count certain things, rather than attempting to accurately portray the work we do every day.

Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.

In the case of libraries, for some reason we want to conceal that we are helping people with questions galore, but not apparently reportable, fascinating questions.

In my opinion, we should count every person we help. They matter. Their questions are important to them and they trust us to be able to answer them, large or small. If someone cannot get you to answer a simple question for them, why would they ever think you could answer anything complex? DOH!!!

On the Desk: Looking Good

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Super Action Comic Maker

When the going gets tough, the tough get 'tooning, I always say. I was looking for something else and I found this new cartooning tool. Choose from several characters and backgrounds, then add in your own captions to the text balloons. Voila, instant comic tale.


Click to Enlarge

This fine toon dedicated to Bill Crider, author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mysteries.

Make your own comic at ArtisanCam.

A Word from our cartoon self

Click on the cartoon to see the entire glorious thing:

On the Desk: Copier from Heck #3

Click to Enlarge!

The Mark V Bushwhacker, like our own beloved copier, might just be TOO SMART. Many times there are too many options, and a customer starts pressing the wide array of buttons and exploring menu options, and you just never know what will happen!

On the Desk: Copier from Heck #1

Click to enlarge:




It's summertime and humid as anything. This is our theory concerning the copy machine and why it is having all sorts of odd malfunctions these days. Paper is getting stuck in the oddest places in the machine. We think humidity is the culprit. We really do have a state of the art copier, and though we think some days it has it in for us and our customers, it is not called a Mark V Bushwhacker, so don't try to order this particular rogue machine from your local copier supplier.

On the Desk: Jodi Picoult

The hot writer this summer and most of this year has been Jodi Picoult. So many people have read all of her books and want more more more or they've read alot but want more more more. As prolific as Jodi Picoult is, often we have nothing at all by her on the shelf, and her books all have waiting lists. This is such a disappointment to the customer of course, and you can only hope it cheers them up to know she has another book in the works. Having a list of other authors in mind that Jodi's readers might like helps as well.

Cheers! D.O.A.

Note: the cartoon is from Witty Comics Yet another fine online cartoon generator. I wish they had a few interior backgrounds, but I really like that you can have a longer main title than many allow, and you can caption each panel.

The Night Bookmobile

I happened upon this comic via the Forbidden Planet blog. It is by the author of The Time Traveller's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger. Her cartoon appears in the Guardian Newspaper. Visit the archives of The Night Bookmobile!

We are obviously not as creative with our bookmobile services as we could be!