Before you contact me, here are a few things to note:

1. I will definitely not write for your publication if it is not open access or freely available online.

2. My blog is single-authored and will remain that way.

3. I will not review or promote your product/software.

4. I do not accept advertising on my site.

 

Contact me at mgfarkas at gmail dot com

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twitter: librarianmer

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3 Comments

  1. Michelle Kidd Tackabery says:

    Hi Meredith,
    I read your blog via RSS (I use Feedly) and have enjoyed your thoughts. I had a recent post in my feed about Proud Boys and racism, but it looks like you removed the post. I wanted to let you know that, no matter what the reason for removing your post was, I agreed with your comment that not speaking out about your colleague’s behavior was racist behavior. It is very hard to hew to any ethical standards right now–it seems like the lines and norms sway, shake and move every day. And it is usually easier not to speak out and hope that the bureacracy or administration will deal with these kinds of things. Unfortunately though, this attitude gives people like this power. The people with the authority to do something are usually hoping that the behavior will just go away. So all of us end up walking around in circles, hoping that the bad actor will eventually tire of us all avoiding her. And bad things happen.

    Stay strong, and keep learning!
    Respectfully,
    Michelle Tackabery
    MLS student, North Carolina Central University
    Durham, NC

  2. Sonja Schulz says:

    Hey! I’m a public high school librarian and have been thinking a ton about slow librarianship since one of your blog posts first introduced me to the concept. I just want you to know how meaningful this work is and continues to be for me— I’m really pondering and unpacking many old thought patterns. So thank you!

  3. K says:

    Thank you! I am sorry it took me so long to find you.

    I am at home working now. I do not lack knowledge or technology, but rather motivation. I have depression and burnout. I have been designing and running underfunded programs alone for 20 years. I have often been underpaid (a form of abuse) and not infrequently villainized because I have had to operate without institutional mandate for my work.

    Like so many LIS folks, I am a curious person, but my natural interest and compassion are being beaten down by the amount of stuff I have coming at me daily. And the internet makes it worse. My brain hurts!!! And what you say about vocation really hits home. I had so much vocation that I missed out on other things in life.

    What I notice now, with great hope, is that we are all calling out abusive work environments. My hope is that we will not lose the gains we have made in autonomy over the course of the pandemic by running back to overwork under financial pressure. We have all undergone a traumatic period and need to do (or not do) whatever it takes to regain some sanity.

    For my own part, I have often gravitated toward superhero projects to prove myself. That worked. Until it abruptly stopped working. Now I find myself in the unenviable position of over identifying with my professional accomplishments yet watching them dwindle as I spiral. Whew. It’s a lot to take in.

    What I mean to say is: I hear you.

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