About
Every year, Library Journal names a group of innovative librarians as “Movers and Shakers.” M&S is a popular feature for a good reason: the profiles of M&S librarians are thought-provoking and inspiring. M&S ends up as something of a snapshot of what the library profession finds innovative and worth of notice, and there is no question that the Movers and Shakers are people to watch.
But at the Library Society of the World, we can’t help but wonder about everyone else in libraryland. While the Movers and Shakers are moving and shaking, what are the rest of us doing? Standing still? Surely not.
So we have come up with our own award that we see as a complement to M&S. Introducing Library Society of the World’s Shovers and Makers.
And there is only one way to become a Shover and Maker: declare yourself one.
No one knows what you have been doing all year as well as you do. No one knows what motivates you, what your professional passions are, why you work so hard on behalf of your patrons, clients or co-workers. So only you really know why you are a winner. Please write a quick profile of why you are a winner this year, and it will get published on this site.
No one has really asked us any questions yet, but that hasn’t stopped us from writing a FAQ.
FAQ
- Who is behind this?
- Nerdboys Joshua M. Neff and Steve Lawson (with the valued assistance of nerdgirl Iris Jastram), in the name of the Library Society of the World.
- Is this a joke?
- With a name like “Shovers and Makers” it certainly isn’t 100% serious. But we do think that hardworking library people deserve a pat on the back, whether or not they are selected for Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers. Like the Library Society of the World itself, it’s a serious joke.
- Are you trying to insult the real Movers and Shakers?
- No! We are proud to be acquainted with some of those people, and they are the real deal: they have great ideas and work hard to carry them through to completion. We just think that there are more library people doing great work than can be recognized in an annual magazine awards issue. In fact, we hope that many Movers and Shakers will also declare themselves as Shovers and Makers.
- Do I need a Master’s in Library and Information Science to be a Shover and Maker?
- Good grief, no. If you care enough about libraries to have found this site, that’s good enough.
- I know a library person who rocks. Can I nominate her for Shovers and Makers?
- The only real “rule” for Shovers and Makers is that you have to give the award to yourself. No one but you yourself can declare you a Shover and Maker. Instead of posting for your friend, why not send her an email with a link to this site saying “I think you are awesome for the following reasons, and think you should be a Shover and Maker.” Even if she doesn’t follow through on the S&M site, she’ll appreciate the fact that you noticed how awesome she is.
- You guys know that “S&M” has other meanings, right?
- Yes. Yes we do.
March 23rd, 2009 at 5:37 pm
[...] and Makers is open to anyone who wants to call herself a Shover and Maker. Go to the site, read the about page, hit the front page and read some of the other Shovers’ and Makers’ posts about [...]
March 23rd, 2009 at 6:23 pm
I love you guys so much!
March 23rd, 2009 at 6:26 pm
The feeling is so very mutual, Jessamyn.
March 24th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Of course S&M stands for something else. Anybody who’s ever been a minimum-wage slave at a pizza place knows it stands for sausage & mushrooms. Right?
March 25th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
I nominate S&M for S&M! ;-)
March 25th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
omg i mistyped my own name – surely I AM A S&M!!!
March 26th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
I thought S&M was Syntax & Morphology. At least that’s what it was when I was pursuing that linguistics degree.
April 24th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
[...] those that don’t know of Shovers and Makers, here’s some information taken from the Shovers and Makers website: Every year, Library Journal names a group of innovative librarians as “Movers and Shakers.” [...]
May 13th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
[...] brilliant, has a different plan. If you can’t move & shake, why not shove & make? The LSW’s “Shovers and Makers” believes that you are already a winner, and that while “the Movers and Shakers are moving and shaking”, the rest of us are [...]