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Alicia

@penguinarae

Probably not in the mood to hear about how great libraries are. The dust isn't aesthetic and the backlog is large. Sometimes I speak cataloging, but mostly nonsense.

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16.12.2023
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Latest posts by Alicia @penguinarae

Figurines of Brady Bunch and Partridge Family fighting each other

Figurines of Brady Bunch and Partridge Family fighting each other

I have created a diorama of the Partridge family attacking the Brady Bunch family. My life is very boring.

09.03.2026 19:06 πŸ‘ 12701 πŸ” 2123 πŸ’¬ 624 πŸ“Œ 312

I love AO3 and their dedication to keeping this site up.

02.03.2026 15:49 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

For the record, I love cataloging. I do.

But once again, the main reason I didn't go to library school until a decade after college was (besides $) the politics and constant rule shenanigans.

Just because I can do it doesn't mean it won't suck out my soul in the process.

24.02.2026 22:05 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Well, for anything older than 1920 or weird. Zoom through more recent stuff, but doesn't everyone who's done it for a while?

24.02.2026 22:02 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Thinking about not cataloging anymore.

I try to escape the current job and fail. I'm tired. I want out of here. I'd miss what I do but also...maybe not, the way things are going.

I'm probably decent at my job, but I'm shit at remembering fields and detailed rules though. And I'm slow.

24.02.2026 22:01 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Banner week for the weird. First a book with a bush's worth of unidentifiable antique plants (discarded the foliage, but the stain remains through about 6 leaves).

And now I get to figure out how to deal with an erotic comic book in Spanish. (very clearly written for men)

GNCRT best practices πŸ‘

19.02.2026 19:52 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

There are scores in here.

I don't know what else.

Regardless, yet another format I don't know. I played an instrument for 13 years and was in orchestra/chorus, so hope exists to figure it out. I can't figure out a key though! (or time signature; my musical vibes worked well enough, praise Suzuki)

18.02.2026 18:59 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

if I ever make it through the office backlog of monographs and serials before I escape, that practice will not be continued.

However, said stacks fact has been added to my policy that if it isn't on my desk or otherwise brought to my attention it does not exist. (staff/time/resource reality)

18.02.2026 18:53 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I promise I'm alive, just swimming through concussion fog this month. (side-by-side fridge/freezers are superior, that's the moral here)

so anyway, this week I learned my predecessors cataloged music scores as books, and did not leaf through to find out any odd pagination.

18.02.2026 18:49 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
With sorrow, we announce the passing of FOBAZI M. ETTARH 1989 - 2026.

Fobazi changed so many lives with her friendship, love, and brilliance. She was so loved, and leaves behind a powerful legacy.

We thank Fobazi's community for their support over the last several months of her illness. A private burial will be held for family. We will be in touch with further information about a future Celebration of Life event, as well as ways to support Fobazi's family and legacy.

With sorrow, we announce the passing of FOBAZI M. ETTARH 1989 - 2026. Fobazi changed so many lives with her friendship, love, and brilliance. She was so loved, and leaves behind a powerful legacy. We thank Fobazi's community for their support over the last several months of her illness. A private burial will be held for family. We will be in touch with further information about a future Celebration of Life event, as well as ways to support Fobazi's family and legacy.

05.02.2026 00:19 πŸ‘ 474 πŸ” 169 πŸ’¬ 119 πŸ“Œ 120

Once the two nations lived in harmony

12.02.2026 18:43 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

so what I'm saying is: if we have to live in a particularly terrible dystopia, at least make the horrors fun.

AND GIVE US BACK SOME COLOR!!!!!

12.02.2026 20:14 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

...and the marketing on AI is literal garbage.
I am a millennial. I know how to get people excited about a thing. Give it a face. A name. Give it a brainworm of a song and a really good commercial that runs on every single platform but is still catchy and fun after 50x.
And rename ChatGPT. Gross.

12.02.2026 20:08 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

side: I don't understand this nostalgic longing for clippy. was I the only one annoyed he thought I spelled my name wrong?! also, there were other options, chiefly dot or links the cat.

I don't want to give the evil overlords ideas, but on a marketing level a face or character is really important.

12.02.2026 20:05 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

sysadmin: "would you like to enable AI in OCLC for cataloging?"
me: no I would not, I want to see how it goes.
me (internally): screaming about art and data centers being the ruination of everything wt-actual gd-f...also WHY WOULD I WANT AN AI CLIPPY?!

12.02.2026 20:02 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

and I know a better label system exists. but they bought all these expensive custom sheets years ago, and IT is IT...πŸ«₯

23.01.2026 19:14 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Somebody did a bad thing to the catalog. IDK who, but I hope it's fixed by Mon or Tues.

In the meantime, woe to my stats. 15 phase boxes constructed, possibly the worst labeling system I've encountered yet (typewriter was faster), and the inefficiency that is dr appts in this city="nothing" done.

23.01.2026 19:13 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

work this week is not real.

I am trawling all internet sources as "keeping up with developments in my field".

I could make phase boxes. I did help a coworker with subjects re: who's liable for war atrocities.

(But my to-do cataloging pile is boooooring. I do rare books, how tf did that happen?!)

06.01.2026 17:58 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

simultaneously glad it's a short day and full of rage I have to drive so very far to the psych appt (in a direction that is neither "home" nor past it so as to not retread).

like no, you don't have to see me in person, i am a figment of god's nightmares at best.

also I want a nap.

06.01.2026 17:54 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I have been there with attempting to fill a request that the catalog could contain but doesn’t.

In the meantime I soldier on.

11.12.2025 23:44 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

But I do follow the work on 19th century bookbindings and heavy metals. So in my mind, it theoretically could be useful to note a significant color, or if something was rebound that turns out to have a toxicity note for the original binding.

11.12.2025 23:41 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

There’s always that thing about patrons (prob pub lib) asking about a book in a certain color.
As someone once on a ref desk and now a spec coll cataloger, I’m on the side of adding those (though I doubt anyone would support me on it)

11.12.2025 23:40 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

(sorry, the cartesian nonsense is ever-present over here) πŸ™ƒ

07.12.2025 07:42 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

all that we ever see or seem is but a dream within a dream

07.12.2025 07:41 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Awesome, really awesome when a single interview process reveals just how much better it could be.

You kinda had me at sending the questions first, but then it got better. Transparency is a delight. πŸ₯Ή

06.12.2025 07:41 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

No, library community. I am not ok.

I’m never going to be ok as long as this disaster exists.

21.11.2025 16:39 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Today I bring you an elementary school-level English instruction, as insultingly failed by RDA. Aka, why this sucks, entry level edition:
β€œrelationship designator: see relationship element
relationship element: an element that relates two RDA entities.”

NEVER DEFINE A WORD USING ITSELF OR A VARIANT

21.11.2025 16:37 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Anyway, another nervous breakdown because I don’t have anyone to ask about 240s and poetry compilations/selections. πŸ™ƒ

Guess that’s an interview consideration: how alone will you be?

19.11.2025 18:02 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Genuinely wish I dealt with OLAC stuff more. At least that’s written down and updated in the last decade.

19.11.2025 17:58 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Every single day my job is attempting to translate some explicit ancient AACR2 direction into modern use with very few resources. 2013 was a great year, too bad almost nobody kept up with free documentation once RDA changed.

You want a cataloger? Give them the tools to do the job.

19.11.2025 17:57 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0