Shawn
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libraryshawn.bsky.social
Shawn
@libraryshawn.bsky.social
Library director, dad, chubby hubby, omni-nerd. Loud guitars, bikes, books, 808 beats, and coffee.
Fobazi Ettarh, who first wrote about the concept of "vocational awe" in respect to library work, has passed away. Here's the revolutionary essay that has helped so many to understand, and put into context, the nature of our labor in libraries.

www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocatio...
Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves – In the Library with the Lead Pipe
Vocational awe describes the set of ideas, values, and assumptions librarians have about themselves and the profession that result in notions that libraries as institutions are inherently good, sacred notions, and therefore beyond critique. I argue that the concept of vocational awe directly correlates to problems within librarianship like burnout and low salary. This article aims to describe the phenomenon and its effects on library philosophies and practices so that they may be recognized and deconstructed.
www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org
February 5, 2026 at 5:21 PM
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Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
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January 31, 2026 at 2:23 PM
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in case you're curious about how angry Minnesota is about ICE, it was -20 today
January 24, 2026 at 12:38 AM
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Froze my ass off at the Iowa City anti-ICE rally, but it was worth it
January 11, 2026 at 8:14 PM
You know, it's like I always say: Maybe they had a ridiculous statement to make about something they hadn't experienced, possibly Sam had a different opinion that nobody'd ever considered important and damn it if Norman and Betty were listening
January 10, 2026 at 6:19 PM
January 1, 2026 at 6:51 PM
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Morning.
December 23, 2025 at 6:01 AM
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Happy Winter Solstice to all my Pagan chums.
December 21, 2025 at 4:54 PM
You may believe that the giant frog and the rainbow unicorn were the masterminds behind the Louvre heist, but I definitely saw both of them at my town's No Kings rally yesterday so their alibis are totally airtight.
October 20, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Yeah, I feel this.

substack.com/inbox/post/1...
How to Topple Tyranny
Last night, while making dinner, something hit me.
substack.com
October 19, 2025 at 8:47 PM
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October 17, 2025 at 1:55 PM
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The resistance art is
TAKING OFF. Inspired by ANTI FASCISTS in the STREET!
October 12, 2025 at 3:14 AM
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The photographer Nancy Floyd began taking a self-portrait each morning in 1982 and sustained the practice on and off for nearly four decades.
The Photographer Who Set Out to Watch Herself Age
Nancy Floyd began taking a self-portrait each morning in 1982 and sustained the practice on and off for nearly four decades.
www.newyorker.com
October 7, 2025 at 6:40 PM
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You and me Bono, you and me both
August 19, 2025 at 6:19 AM
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In which actor and local bar owner Ty Burrell, @slcmayor.bsky.social and the Downtown Alliance produce a video to raise money for the employees impacted by the Main Street fire (and it's kinda funny! 😂): youtube.com/watch?v=0xDVTKrrDHM&feature=youtu.be #utpol #SLC #Utah
Main Street Fire Employee Assistance Fund
YouTube video by Downtown Alliance SLC
youtube.com
August 14, 2025 at 11:35 PM
July 25, 2025 at 6:23 AM
R. I. P. to the Prince of Darkness.

youtu.be/mQjqUvuA48A?...
Snares - Black Sabbath
YouTube video by ElectroBassDub4
youtu.be
July 23, 2025 at 12:30 AM
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Handy guide -
July 4, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Movie you've watched more than 6x using a GIF
(No Disney, Star Wars, LOTR or Star Trek)
June 27, 2025 at 3:10 AM
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June 24, 2025 at 6:17 PM
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Perfect 🤣
June 15, 2025 at 2:34 PM
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June 12, 2025 at 9:33 PM
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June 11, 2025 at 10:22 AM
There's talking shit and then there's telling the straight-up truth. This belongs in the latter category. I wish I'd written this first.
June 11, 2025 at 12:36 AM