Library Recieves Power Company Tweets, Why You Should Vote

"Jersey Central Power & Light customers have been sending messages on Twitter to @JCPL seeking information. Only problem is the account isn't for JCP&L.
The Twitter accounts for Jefferson County Public Library in Colorado and JCP&L are one character off from each other. The library is at @JCPL while JCP&L is at @JCP_L."

How do you handle this?  Here's how we did it:

At one point in our lovely little college town of Bannville, there rose a bar.  Seeking to interest the students and get their waitresses into school girl uniforms, they named the bar The Library.  Yep.  That happened.

We found out about it when the owner came in and cleaned out our book sale one day, taking all the old paperbacks and National Geographic's to pepper on the walls and the bar to lend to the atmosphere.  Then the calls started to come in.

Every night for the first two weeks we got calls asking what band was playing or what the drink specials were.  After the hype of the new place had calmed, the calls slowed to the weekend.  One Friday night just before closing, an intoxicated young man called six times insisting to speak to "Mandy" or he was going to come down and kick our asses.  We invited him to do just that.

Eventually, the bar closed and the calls slowed and stopped all together.  So what did we do, you ask?  Nothing but be the normal accommodating library staff that we always were.  That is all you can do, be nice and give the problem time to heal itself.  

You see, emergencies and bars come and go.  The public library will always be there to help.  

Unless the bastards in power take away all our funding before we can vote them out of office.  Then, we may be screwed.  Do not forget to vote on Tuesday.

Mistaken Twitter identity: Colorado library getting JCP&L's Hurricane Sandy tweets - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com:

The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

Mistaken Twitter identity: Colorado library getting JCP&L's Hurricane Sandy tweets The Star-Ledger - NJ.com "It didn't take long at all for us to figure it out because we had a similar thing happen last fall when New Jersey was hit with that major snow storm," said Bethany Frisbie, promotions & marketing manager at the Jefferson County Public Library. "That ... and more »

Steal a Library Card to Vote in Memphis

"Tennessee voters will be able to show Memphis library cards to cast ballots in the upcoming November election.  A Tennessee appeals court ruled on Thursday that a state requirement that voters must show photo identification is valid, but said the library cards are acceptable."

I think the great state of Tennessee trusts its voters way more than they should.  I cannot say that I have ever seen a Memphis library card (Hell, for all I know it could have everything from your name to your permanent record your second grade teacher was always yelling about on it), but allowing the public to use the library card and only a library card is damn scary.  Just because you are in position of a library card does not mean you are in possession of your library card.  

Of course, this could be a sly message to the rest of the nation that Tennessee knows where it stands.  "We don't give a shit how you get a ballot," the Tennessee courts say, "Cause it don't make a fuck load of difference.  We're votin' Republican!  Red or dead, am I right, Mable?"

Then Mable shakes her head and goes back into the woods to mind the moonshine still and the ten children.

Memphis Library Cards Will Count as Valid ID at Polls - ABC News:

ABC News

Memphis Library Cards Will Count as Valid ID at Polls ABC News Tennessee voters will be able to show Memphis library cards to cast ballots in the upcoming November election. A Tennessee appeals court ruled on Thursday that a state requirement that voters must show photo identification is valid, but said the ... Tenn. appeals voter ID ruling over library cardSan Francisco Chronicle Tennessee: State Appeals Ruling on Library IDsNew York Times State officials appeal library card voter ID ruling to TN Supreme CourtThe Tennessean Shelbyville Times-Gazette -Memphis Commercial Appeal -Houston Chronicle all 249 news articles »

Voting in the Public Library, and Not for American Idol

The San Antonio Public Library has started a drive to register voters in the library.  I know we make a lot of jokes here, but voting really is important, you guys.  Every voice counts, especially in this election season.  Because that's when voting happens.  During the election.

Don't look at me like that.  I bet someone out there looked at their computer screen sideways for a second and wondered what the hell I was talking about.  "Ain't no voting yet, just the judges.  Shit, I know when Simon Belmont and [whatever popstar] pick who's gonna start with the singing and such.  Then the Ryan Secrets is gonna tell me, 'hey, y'all call in.'  And you bet your ass I will."

To the person who thought all that and made it this far:  May God and the Spaghetti Monster have mercy on your soul.

Libraries willing, able to register voters - San Antonio Express:

Libraries willing, able to register voters San Antonio Express Voting is one of our most precious rights and most important responsibilities. The electoral process gives every citizen a voice in the conduct of our government. Sadly, according to the Bexar County Elections Department, in the 2008 general election ...