Librarian Olympics and Other Fun

Posted December 5, 2012 by Julie Steenson

We all know that librarians are awesome at bookish endeavors, but time and again, my professors (and my experience) tell me that the ability to unjam a stapler is an extremely important librarian skill.  This is right up there with troubleshooting the fax machine, clearing the paper jam in the printer, learning the new phone system, and my most recent nightmare….using the new projector and sound system at the library’s movie night.
The problem with all of these minor technical horrors is that one usually must deal with them on the spot, with patrons waiting.  Time is of the essence, and well, to be honest, I am spending all this money on a Master’s degree and I don’t enjoy being stumped by a fancy new remote control.  It’s embarrassing.
What we need is Librarian Olympics!  Imagine a convention hall packed with hundreds of different types of copiers, fax machines, and e-readers and teams of librarians competing to troubleshoot the uncooperative machines in the shortest time…The training sessions alone would turn us all into brilliant mechanical engineers, never again to be beaten by so-called helpful technology.
I will be one of the first to sign up… Meanwhile, we will just have to be satisfied with more traditional librarian sports, like the Book Cart Drill teams. Yes, we know how to have fun.
The Warrior Librarians are one of my favorites:

Enjoy!