Justin Brasher, The Brash Librarian

Hey Friends!

So it’s been an off day for me, and I decided that this might be a good day to give more serious thought to something that’s been on my mind. You all know what I mean: I NEED A HALLOWEEN COSTUME.

Most of you know how much I love a good costume, but I’m having trouble deciding. So, I thought I’d ask the public at large for their opinion. What costumes do YOU have in mind? Previous costumes include Hulk Hogan, Dr. House, , Ninja, Jack Sparrow, Elwood Blues, Big Boss, The Joker, Tommy Lee, Dr. Mcninja and others. I wore a Sherlock Holmes costume while partying with The Bookaneer, but I felt like I could do better.

Some ideas thrown at me have been Shaggy from Scooby Doo (thank you, Anne), Dr. Benton Quest from Johnny Quest (thank you, Barrett), Dr. McNinja from the webcomic of the same name, Superman, a lumberjack…If I was doing a group costume, I’d consider Ghostbusters or Lonely Island. I don’t know, somebody help!

Don’t forget to like me on Facebook for awesome other stuffs! Stay costumed, my peeps!

JB, the BL

Hello, friends!

I recently had the pleasure of attending Amy Herman’s Art of Perception seminar. Her website describes it as follows:

“The Art of Perception^® is a proprietary training seminar that teaches professionals how to enhance their observation and communication skills. Since its inception in 2000, the Art of Perception has successfully trained thousands of professionals from a broad range of fields, including law enforcement, medicine, industry, and education. The program’s dual objectives are achieved by removing participants from their daily work environment and developing and improving observational skills that are relevant to their specific professions. Participants analyze works of art in a museum setting and present their observations to their colleagues, thereby improving their individual and collective abilities to discern the distinctions between perception and inference. As a result of this process, they learn to analyze, expand upon, and reconsider the skills necessary to perform their professional responsibilities.”

Yes, honing and heightening one’s observational powers, not letting any minute detail escape, and learning to clearly communicate observations to other people. She has trained detectives, doctors, CIA and FBI agents, emergency response personnel and more to be more aware and observant. YES, IT’S A CLASS ON HOW TO BE SHERLOCK HOLMES. Using photographs, paintings and other works of art, Herman shares her techniques on perception to see less and observe more. “I don’t like the words ‘obviously’ and ‘clearly’…what’s obvious to you may not be to other people. It’s your job to observe and  communicate – observation is a 24-hour job”, Herman remarked during an exercise. Several hours later, I felt like I could spot everything and anything. I hope I can utilize my skills even further!

Feel free to check out her site while I go solves some mysteries!

Stay Perceptive,

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

Hey Friends! Happy labor day!

Whew! Summer classes are over, Fall classes have started, and I’m feeling pretty awesome. Among my reasons to feel awesome include my running in The Superhero Scramble in Waldo, Florida. It was…well…SUPER! I learned a few lessons from running the Swamp Dash in April, so this time I was ready. I made sure to wear shoes that weren’t old and ready to fall apart along with long sleeves to protect my forearms from cuts and bruises. Runners were encouraged to dress in costume, so who was I to refuse? There were Supermen, Batmen, Ninja Turtles, even one dude came as The Tick. I brought my own superhero costume – I came as my alter ego, The Brash Librarian! Bearing my Dewey call number 741.5, I rocked the race! I was stronger, faster and much more agile than last time.

The Brash Librarian at the finish line!

There were high walls, FIRE, mud pits, tunnels, carrying sand bags, FIRE,  jumping into a pool of muddy water, barbed wire, rope nets, FIRE, a slip-n-slide, vats of ice cold water – I didn’t know it was icy until I landed in it. Holy crap, that was cold. Did I mention there was FIRE? Jumping over it was pretty rad. I had the pleasure of making some new friends including Lana and Carroll, and was joined by several of my friends to cheer me on. A shout-out to my friends Heather, Grant, Dave, Jovon and my always-trusty sidekick, Katy! I’d also like to take a moment and congratulate Katy for getting a totally sweet librarian job in West Palm Beach! I salute you, madam!

Classes are going well, I’m really excited for my Management class with Dr. Koontz. I had the amazing pleasure to taking her Storytelling class over the summer and look forward to working with her again. Whee!

A NEW FRIEND!

I’d like to take a moment to plug for my friend’s new blog, The Bookaneer! She works in a library and has an obsession for pirate things. She’s also going to help get my lazy bum into writing more blog posts and play catch up. You guys deserve more content than I’m writing, so expect more good stuff soon!

Speaking of which! The Bookaneer and I have both been contemplating putting up video blogs for our posts (vlogging for all you cool kids out there) to help reach out to our people. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Observations? Post them in the comment box below and tell us what you think!

Stay safe, stay awesome, I love you all!

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

Hey Friends!

Things have been uber-busy, and that’s my bad. I promise I’ll have some fresh updates, but here’s a sweet update in the meantime! I had the pleasure of speaking to some children in Levy County about my experiences living in Ecuador.

To quote Jeff Hardison’s article on HardisonInk.com:

As part of the summer program of the Levy County Public Library System, Youth Services Coordinator Jenny Rodgers has again brought several guest speakers to the county’s five public libraries. Last year, Rodgers started the program, which includes opportunities for the children to make crafts related to the country or program, and to enjoy food that is native to the area being discussed. And, just like last year, each program includes a chance for the children to receive a supplemental snack from the University of Florida Nutrition Program. Many of the presenters have been University of Florida students or U.F. graduate students.
So far, the audiences at the various libraries have seen programs related to China, Puerto Rico, Greece, Iran, Nepal and now Ecuador. Not every country is presented at every library. In the coming weeks, there is a plan for participants to enjoy programs related to The Philippines, Australia, Singapore, Zimbabwe, Switzerland, the United States of America, Haiti, Colombia (South America), and Animals of the World.

The Brash Librarian and my friend, Nicole!

I spoke to the children about my time living in a cloud forest wildlife preserve along with being in Quito and Guayaquil. My good friend Nicole, a long-time horseback rider and  owner of a horse farm, told us about the various horse breeds found in Ecuador. I gave the presentation in Cedar Key, Williston and Chiefland. Following the presentation, we indulged in some delicious Tres Leches cake – an Ecuadorian dessert made my yours truly and company. This is my signature dessert, best thing ever. Read the entire article here!

More to come soon. I love you all!

Justin Brasher, Brasher Librarian

Hey Friends!

So I was out at dinner the other night with some friends and I had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting a guy who will remain anonymous. This new acquaintance insisted that there was no such thing as a sexy male librarian. Yes, this guy really was that off his rocker. “Girls can pull off the sexy librarian look, but guys? Eh, I don’t think so.” I consider myself a fairly handsome guy, thankyouverymuch. I politely informed him that as a guy who’s in Library School, I can do the sexy librarian look, too. I also listed off Giles, Indiana Jones, and Noah Wiley as sexy male librarians. When he tried to argue that Indy isn’t a librarian, I shamelessly sent him to my blog.

This reminded me of when my Brash Sidekick Katy sent a calendar my way entitled The Men of The Stacks, a calendar of sexy male librarians you can get right here. Oh yes, ladies! Calendars aren’t just for Chippendale dancers and firemen; they’re for those literary men you just can’t get enough of!

Speaking of which, I just ordered new glasses! I ordered two pairs – a pair of super groovy green and black ones, and a pair of black “Peter Parker” frames. My friend Crissy tells me they’re all the rage. Pictures to come! Assuming they look good!
Keep on looking good, library people!

-Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

Hey Friends!

I know, I know, it’s been a month since I’ve posted. School, job hunting, and other hootinany have gotten in my way…But no more! I couldn’t deny my adoring fans a day longer!

Did I say fans? I meant my serious, academic and scholarly peers.

Let’s Catch up!

Class has been going well for the most part. Storytelling is going lovely! I never thought I’d be in a class telling Aesop fables for college credit. The science and art behind telling a good story is far more involved than I thought! My Information Foundations and Management classes are going well, though I wish there was more storytelling.

Things are progressing on the job front, fingers crossed! I’ve applied to a few different positions around the area (some outside the area), so we’ll see what happens.

Hootinany-wise, my birthday party was a success! My party was pajama-themed, with a special twist. I made it a B.Y.O.B. party: not “bring your own beer”, but “bring your own book”! I had everyone bring a book to donate to LARK for mentally challenged readers. Everyone brought great books and great gifts! Chrissy gave me a hand-stitched Star Wars plaque, Jovon brought a birthday cake she made from scratch, Ryan gave me a bottle of blood-red mead, Katy brought her famous peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread (or PBCCBB for those in the know), and Caitlin made me a bearded beanie that models Gimli’s hat and beard from The Lord of The Rings!

Blowing out birthday candles!

Caitlin made me a Gimli Beanie! Now I just need an axe!

Crissy gave me this book! It’s written from an 8 year old’s perspective. GENIUS.

The wise words of Han Solo now hang in my entrance hall!

As for things in my everyday life (if I have such a thing), my training for the Superhero Scramble is going well! I learned from the Swamp Dash back in April that endurance cardio is my weak point, so more running has been added to the regimen. I HATE running, but I’ll do it. Crawling over high walls and under barbed wire? Lifting heavy objects? I’m in. Running in a straight line? Meh, not as fun. If anyone in the area would like to join up or just watch the race, I’ll be racing in the 9:30am wave in Waldo on July 28th.

I’ve been redecorating my apartment! New art, furniture, decorations – all free since I’m on a broke grad student budget. I also enjoy making my own stuff. My latest creation? A Sherlock Holmes key rack!

I now live at 221B Baker Street, home of the famous detective! Yes, I will make you one if you ask.

I recently went to Hollywood Studios at Disney World with some friends, and had a blast! I hadn’t been in over a decade, it was so cool to see what had changed and what had remained the same. We went on all the rides and saw nearly every show…including the INDIANA JONES STUNT SHOW!!! There was no way that I, the Brash Librarian, was going to leave without trying a fedora on.

How could I resist?

I had so much fun, I really needed the break from life’s brouhahas. Thanks to Jovon, Molly and Bryan!

And now, it’s time to shamelessly plug your local library! My friend (and Brash sidekick) Katy checked out Ghost Rider 2: The Spirit of Vengeance from the local library. Personally, I thought the first one was a pile of garbage, but it was free to watch and I figured it would only cost about two hours of my life, so why not? My open-mindedness was rewarded with a totally sweet movie! The dialogue was cheesy, but also poignant at times. Also, Ghost Rider can now possess any vehicle, not just his demonic motorcycle. After his bike is blown up, he possesses a crane in a rock quarry. Let me reiterate that: a giant, flaming crane! This was far better than the first movie, and I would recommend it if you like flames, demonic motorcycles, Nicolas Cage being his twitchy, loopy, neurotic self, or Twinkies. Yes, there’s a joke about Twinkies. Even if you have no interest, go to your library and get a movie anyway! It’s free, and you can’t beat free. Thank you Katy for sharing this gem of a movie with me!

Flaming motorcycles for libraries.

More to come soon! I’ll update you on how the LARK donation goes, along with other new shenanigans.

Stay classy, kids! Until next time!

Justin Brasher, the Brash Librarian

Hey Friends!

So I gave this one a good deal of thought and consideration…It took going back over the character numerous times, but I can say with fair certainty that Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. is actually a librarian. That’s right, I said it…Indiana Jones is a librarian!

Dr. Jones is really an MLS. Don’t be fooled.

I know what you’re all going to say – “You’re wrong, Justin! Indiana Jones is an archaeologist, silly!” Am I truly wrong? Then why does he act more like a librarian than an archaeologist? Let’s review some of what we know…

–Raiders of the Lost Ark: Indy pulls a book out to show what the Ark of the Covenant looks like. Where did get that book? Probably from a LIBRARY. What happens to the Ark? It gets stamped and archived like a book. They probably use Dewey at Area 51.

–The Temple of Doom: How does Indy know about the Shankara stones and the legend behind them? From his research at the LIBRARY.

–The Last Crusade: Whoa, the goldmine here. Indy even says to his class, “80 percent of archaeology is done in the LIBRARY.” Where does X mark the spot? In the LIBRARY. How does Indy get to the tomb of Sir Richard in Venice? Through the LIBRARY. Indy’s dad, Henry Sr., teaches Medieval Literature and Grail lore is his hobby – not exactly archaeology. Everything he knows about the Grail he learned from years of reading and research in the LIBRARY. They even have to rescue his diary from Berlin because of its reference value when dealing with booby traps! Upon being rescued from the tank, the first thing he does is ask Indy, “you call this archaeology?”

See? Even his dad doubts him as an archaeologist.

-The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: As much as I’d like to say this movie doesn’t exist, the librarian in me opposes censorship. A motorcycle goes through a LIBRARY. Okay, that’s pretty rad. There’s also monkeys and aliens or something. I don’t know. Watch this movie at your own risk.

Not enough proof? Consider these pearls of wisdom.

This is why he can’t have nice things.

I think this about sums up my findings. Given that he’s also the mascot for the Brash Librarian, it makes sense that he’s simply a librarian by another name. Still not satisfied? Fine, take this!

This is how librarians dress. Right?

More to come soon, stay classy kids!

-Justin Brasher, The Brash Librarian

Hey Friends!

The Brash Librarian turns 26 today. Send some love via comments, facebook, or on the direct line to brashlibrarian@gmail.com.