As a librarian, I thought you might want to know about the debut (last Monday) of The Picnic Basket where library and school professionals taste new and forthcoming children's books with first-come, first-serve sample copies of books for kids of all ages. We send free books. You tell us what you t... more

As a librarian, I thought you might want to know about the debut (last Monday) of The Picnic Basket where library and school professionals taste new and forthcoming children's books with first-come, first-serve sample copies of books for kids of all ages. We send free books. You tell us what you think: look to see what’s in the weekly feast, request the books that you want to taste, read the books, and then post reviews on The Picnic Basket for your colleagues to read.


It’s a blog full of all you can read (and write) about children’s literature and I hope will become an additional resource for librarians. So far, the feedback’s been overwhelmingly positive. I hope you’ll take a peek and partake in the picnic.

Thanks,

Deborah Sloan
www.thepicnic-basket.com

One other thing I need to mention: If you work overseas, you will be allowed to either live on base or be paid to live 'on the economy.' In the US, you're on your own. It really is a great job, Sharon. I've worked in regular public libraries and they do tend to attract a different clientele than ... more

One other thing I need to mention: If you work overseas, you will be allowed to either live on base or be paid to live 'on the economy.' In the US, you're on your own. It really is a great job, Sharon. I've worked in regular public libraries and they do tend to attract a different clientele than military libraries. Besides...it's a lot easier to get overdues returned; just call the First Sergeant. Good luck and please let me know if there is anything else you'd like to know.

Joe

Most definitely, Sharon! Both the Army and the Air Force are looking for librarians with experience working with the public, not locked away in some research lab. By the way, the Navy and Marines are not big on libraries. I'm sure that in Houston, you and your supervisors face bureaucratic B.S. f... more

Most definitely, Sharon! Both the Army and the Air Force are looking for librarians with experience working with the public, not locked away in some research lab. By the way, the Navy and Marines are not big on libraries. I'm sure that in Houston, you and your supervisors face bureaucratic B.S. from officials; the same is true in military libraries. The problems are the same: struggles for money, competition with other agencies, big wigs who know little about libraries, etc. But the rewards can be great: good salary, good benefits, chance to travel, a mostly educated public (no homeless, weirdos, etc.). I never would have been able to travel to such places as Hong Kong, Machu Picchu, or the Galapagos if I had not worked for Uncle Sam.

Joe

Sharon: You've gone to the right place to apply for a job. As far as the type of work, if you are assigned to a 'base' (Air Force) or 'post' (Army) library, it's exactly the same as a public library ---kids, students, adults, retirees. Our main difference is that we have to support every segment:... more

Sharon: You've gone to the right place to apply for a job. As far as the type of work, if you are assigned to a 'base' (Air Force) or 'post' (Army) library, it's exactly the same as a public library ---kids, students, adults, retirees. Our main difference is that we have to support every segment: we are a children's library, a college library --supporting three or more on-base colleges. a military library, and a general public library. If you assigned to a library in the US, you can stay there as long as you want to. Most overseas military libraries have a time limit, usually three to five years. Hope this helps and there's more info if you want it. No problem being a 'Chatty Cathy'; I'm glad to be of help.

Joe

Sharon: I never served in the military due to a bad knee, but in 1969 I received a call from the Army asking if I was interested in working as a civilian librarian in Vietnam. Since this was obviously during the war, my wife is not too thrilled about it, but I guess I had two reasons for accepting... more

Sharon: I never served in the military due to a bad knee, but in 1969 I received a call from the Army asking if I was interested in working as a civilian librarian in Vietnam. Since this was obviously during the war, my wife is not too thrilled about it, but I guess I had two reasons for accepting: I felt I should do something for the war effort, and (perhaps most importantly) I desperately wanted to travel. This began my career with the Army Library Program that ended (with the Air Force Library Program) in 1999.
Let me know if this is what you are interested in and I'll give you more history.

Joe