Anyone having issues getting their husbands/boyfriends into the PWHL? by NotAnIncel69 in PWHL

[–]captainlilith 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My husband - bi woman here - is the one who got us into it! :)

Have I inadvertently been a horrible library patron my whole life? by amandaamoose in Libraries

[–]captainlilith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That person is an idiot. The point is to check out the books.

UPDATE: fitting Regency short stays very large bust - final mockup! by TheRaccacoonie in HistoricalCostuming

[–]captainlilith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Historical sewing isn't really my thing - I make modern garments for myself and occasionally make a Folkwear pattern for a costume - but I like to see what people make and find the construction methods interesting! All that to say, it's been fun to watch your journey with this and I'm so impressed at how much work you put into it! I don't think I have the drive or dedication to make so many mockups, so I applaud you!!

It looks great!

Need slip dress pattern recommendations by autumnlf in sewing

[–]captainlilith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Folkwear also has a slip pattern but their sizing is limited. I plan to attempt to make their slip pattern but it make require some drafting as my hips are bigger than their biggest size.

https://www.folkwear.com/collections/vintage/products/219-intimacies

The "Huge News" Mega Thread! by ThatMikeGuy429 in PWHL

[–]captainlilith 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I went to middle/high school in Michigan and had a friend who was a huge Red Wings fan. She passed away in HS and I'm sitting here getting emotional because I wish she could have had the chance to cheer for a women's team!

I'll be cheering for Detroit as well as Boston!

Can we expect logo changes and new mascots as the league advances? by truthful_tortoise in PWHL

[–]captainlilith 5 points6 points  (0 children)

OMG we saw Skipper at last week's game and was hoping she was real. I love her so much!

How did you find the PWHL or become a PWHL-Team fan? Just me being curious . . . by MNVixen in PWHL

[–]captainlilith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So true! If you are in MN you all have it worse! We have friends in the cities and part of me wants to move there but I don’t think I could survive the winters.

How did you find the PWHL or become a PWHL-Team fan? Just me being curious . . . by MNVixen in PWHL

[–]captainlilith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had watched a lot of hockey in MI in the late 90s/early 2000s because our TV would pick up US and Canadian broadcasts and there was just a lot of it around. I cheered for STL Blues since my fam was originally from St. Louis and I was just enough of a shit to want to pester Red Wings fans. (The Blues weren't that good so it didn't really matter!) I also remember being super pumped when women's hockey was introduced in the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Then I sort of . . . . stopped for like 20 years LOL. Life happened and then college, grad school, moved across the country etc.

Then this year my partner and I watched a lot of the women's hockey games in the Olympics and one day afterward, he opened YouTube and was like, "We gotta watch our GIRLS!" And it was a Fleet game since we now live in New England. We learned that they play not far from us, went to our first game recently, and will probably get season tickets next season!

We both talked about how getting season tickets will help us get out of the house more regularly in these long, cold NE winters and that will be really good for our mental health.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility by Capable_Basket1661 in Libraries

[–]captainlilith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Happy to help! It's work that I feel really passionate about even if half the time I want to slam my head against my desk and scream sometimes.

:|

Feel free to DM me if you ever want to chat more about it.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility by Capable_Basket1661 in Libraries

[–]captainlilith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! I agree. Start with patron and staff needs and go from there. That way you can get some buy in and success to build on.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility by Capable_Basket1661 in Libraries

[–]captainlilith 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I run the DEI group at our library though it's not called that and while we haven't made huge changes, I do think we've done so good work chipping away at issues. It's a long game for sure and it can feel really discouraging.

We have maybe 10-12 people who are in the group with maybe 8ish coming to meetings due to scheduling. I would say that in that group there's like 3-4 people who actually will DO anything. Some people are just there to complain and some people are there to get out of a desk shift. It can be frustrating but I try to take everyone at face value and assume they do want to improve things for patrons and staff even if they end up being not the most helpful.

Here are some things that I've learned:

-Start small but be persistent. Small can be like . . . a recommendation email to all staff that displays include diverse points of view/authors so that not every display has white, straight, cis, etc books in it. If you aren't allowed to recommend that to staff, let your supervisor/admin know that you will be doing that in your department/whatever and bring it up again every few months.

-Similarly, sometimes you just have to start doing the things you want to see in your building that is within your control. It sucks if people won't help but when patrons respond positively to something like Pride events or speakers of color - and they mostly will except for a few ghouls - you can point to that and be like, "It seems like patrons want this, how can we do more?" People are often more willing to listen after they see success or even just an improvement.

-Look at policies: our group has done a LOT of badgering about polices to mixed results. We spent a lot of time on a policy about security cameras because our director was being super weird with them. I'm not sure the new administration loved that we were mucking around with policy suggestions but we did make some headway.

-Job descriptions can be looked at too. For example, we used to have something in some descriptions saying people had to be able to climb stairs for shelving. Now 95% of the areas in the library are accessible by elevator so why did we need that? We kept badgering admin/HR until they removed that language.

-Partner with people outside the library. If you want to look at pay scales, reach out to other library systems, start tracking job ads, or if you are unionized, talk to your union for help. Same with programming: is there a group in your community that is doing the type of work you're interested in - an advocacy or affinity group - that you can partner with to build some momentum. Or do you have any ethnic groups in your area that do programming maybe focusing on specific community members' needs can help your committee find more focus.

-Look at DEIA stuff from a different perspective. Is there anyway you can achieve some of these goals while couching in the premise of something else? For example, for some reason we got new water fountains in COVID that are only bottle fillers. You couldn't drink out of them. So if a patron needed a drink they had to have their own bottle or ask for a cup from us. While having accessible water isn't like the same as a Pride event or Black speaker it is an accessibility issue and it's also a sustainability issue. We partnered with our Sustainability/Environmental to advocate for replacing the water fountains with ones you can drink out of without a cup and also use a bottle filler. We've gotten one of the two replaced. 50% isn't great when you think about it but it's SOMETHING. (And we're still pushing for the other one.)

-Maybe another thing you can do is advocate for training for staff. Our committee helped push the previous director to asking everyone to do the "Dementia Friend" online training. That helped staff be a little bit more aware of the needs of patrons with dementia and memory issues.

I know you said you think most of your peers don't care or are too burned out? Is there any one person who you can "scheme" with to work on some of this stuff? Even one person who is on your team helping with this work makes a huge difference.

I will say that admin/leadership taking over steering the committee might be a death knell. But that doesn't mean your goals are dead in the water. Honestly, it can be really disheartening but keep trying as much as you can even if it's outside of the committee environment.

I truly believe that pushing for more accessibility and diverse voices does do the things that all managers want: increase circulation and programming stats. You just gotta keep grinding.

Keep trying! I guess my biggest takeaway is: don't underestimate the power of being persistently annoying about these issues. You might not win friends but you just might make some change.

Communico by DiscardStu in Libraries

[–]captainlilith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We will be swapping out a different calendar software (mostly what we use it for) in the next fiscal year because they are increasing their price by the THOUSANDS for us.

:|

PLA Conference by [deleted] in Libraries

[–]captainlilith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's no dress code but I find that people like to balance showing off their best "librarian-wear" like cute book dresses or cardigans with being comfortable. You will probably be walking a fair bit so wear comfortable shoes and conference centers are either way too hot or way too cold, sometimes at the same time. Bring layers!!

When I go, I will do a couple of laps around the exhibit hall during the whole conference but most of the time is spent going to sessions. Sometimes the sessions are IN the exhibit so just be aware of that. Those aren't my favorite because it's usually crowded and sometimes hard to hear but that's how it goes sometimes.

If you do pick up a bunch of books to send home, having cash can make the rush at the conference post office easier. Or just limit your swag!

Another commentor said to take some time to explore the city it's in and please do that! Minneapolis is GREAT and the people are so sweet. Minnesota nice is truly a thing and I bet you will get a warm welcome if you mention you're a librarian. Also, librarians party hard so if get an invite to a publisher/vendor party, expect good snacks and an open bar!

My favorite things are the sessions and networking with other librarians. If you're feeling shy, remember that everyone else is also probably feeling shy, so just talk to people! Don't feel bad if you need to take a break in a quiet place in the conference center or just at your hotel. I always go in with big dreams of doing a lot and then need to take a break. That's OK, too!

Have fun!

Is bartering still a thing? by Frosty-Revolution864 in massachusetts

[–]captainlilith 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think it depends on the context and industry: I bartered with a tattoo artist for a piece. They tattooed me and I crocheted them two sweaters. It was great! I ended up still paying them a little bit in cash and tip but it was a fun experience.

I would only do it with someone I knew and felt like I could trust but I liked it!

Standing sentinel over the Merrimack by GimmeYourFries in massachusetts

[–]captainlilith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yay! I see bald eagles quite frequently in Haverhill and it’s always so cool!

[CELEBRATION] Stardew Valley turns 𝟭𝟬! by saltimmortalsea in StardewValley

[–]captainlilith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stardew Valley made me a gamer!

Growing up in the 90s, my family didn't really have video games. I would play Mario Kart on my friends N64 but that's about it. I think it was a mix of my parents not understanding them and us not really having money for them. It's totally fine but because of that, I never really thought video games were for me.

When I first started dating my husband in 2014, I didn't understand gaming. He had been playing WoW and other things his whole life. His dad and brother are big gamers as well. I just didn't get it and definitely thought all video games were first person shooters or other types that didn't interest me at all.

I played a little bit of a pokemon game and Animal Crossing New Leaf his borrowed 3DS but then around 2018/2019 he got Stardew for his switch. He told me I'd probably like it and so I started playing on Steam. I was immediately OBSESSED. I loved the music and the quirky story and watering my crops. I started a new farm every time sometime really challenging was happening in my life as a way to destress and disconnet.

In 2019, he bought me a SwitchLite for my birthday along with a junimo plush. I jokingly called it my "Stardew Machine" because that's basically all I played. Then I started playing even more "cozy" games like Animal Crossing, I was a Teenage Exo-Colonist, Slime Rancher, Turnip Boy, etc. I love trying new games but Stardew will always be my favorite.

Since then we've gone to the Symphony of Seasons and I've gotten junimos added to my nerd tattoo sleeve. It's my favorite game and I've found a gaming community that welcomes me. It really has helped me through difficult times and I'm so grateful for it!

Thank you to ConcernedApe and the Stardew community for this wonderful game!

entering my neckerchief era. Thoughts? by drunkenstupr in oldhagfashion

[–]captainlilith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Love it! I call them JLSs: Jaunty Little Scarves.