17 September 2013

Hack Library School... now a convenient eBook!


Hack Library School might be a derogatory name, or it may be an imperative statement.  Some might think it means library school is for hacks, letting us trade creativity for a steady paycheck; others will see it as an opportunity to deconstruct a required curriculum, allowing us to make something meaningful from an otherwise uninspired set of credentialing courses.  I prefer the the second take, because like any undertaking, the benefits from library school are largely equal to the effort put into library school.

The Hack Library School--a blog by and for library students, on the other hand, takes pride in both meanings.  They've also done us a great service by publishing the HLS Guide to Library School, which collects over 300 pages of advice for new and prospective librarians.  Beyond being full of good advice, this book does readers another favor.  It fills the "you don't need library school to do this job" niche (even though you DO need the library school credential to get the job), which means I won't bore you by trying to write that book.