My geek-chic-lovin' friend strode into work the other day wearing a suspiciously new concert t-shirt. Not wanting to cripple what little pop-culture cred I have with a member of the microbrew 'n felting set, I pretended to be down with my local rep of All Things Indie: "The Decemberists, I see." Who says I'm not the master of the noncommittal comment?
"Yeah," he replied, "I'm a sucker for the whole lit rock thing." Truth be told, he didn't really say that. He did launch into a lengthy exposition about the relevancy of the band to his generation--something to do with pirates, accordions and the American Civil War, I think, but by that point I had wandered away in search of freebie M&M'S® in the library administration office.
But six hours later (after several loads of laundry and a Very Special Episode of Celebrity Fit Club) he did get me to thinking: maybe I can use this lit rock idea for good, to support the profession in our never-ending quest for relevancy with the Wii-boxers out there. After all, if the millennials are willing to stare at teeny backlit screens to text their interpretations of lyrics to all BFFs in the middle of a Mountain Goats show, why not leverage the self-absorbed angst? Heck--it's easier than chasing down teens and trying to slap temporary "reading is dope" tattoos as they flee the last round of Dance Dance Revolution in the YA section.
Next Time: A Very Special Lit Rock Guide for Librarians
Be Careful What You Declaim Dept: Remember my assertion that being a librarian is the perfect foil for those with criminal inclinations? It seems now we're either a magnet for crime or more frighteningly, a possible long-time propagator of it.
Posted by absherl at March 17, 2008 10:55 PM