Let me tell you something nobody says at conferences: most library technology is held together with duct tape, prayers, and one person who hasn’t taken a vacation in three years.

This blog exists because I’m tired of reading sanitized takes on library tech. Every article reads like it went through three rounds of PR approval. Every conference presentation is sponsored by the vendor whose system is actively failing. Every case study conveniently leaves out the part where the migration took twice as long and cost three times the budget.

What This Is

Unfiltered takes on:

  • Library systems that make you question your life choices
  • Cataloging chaos and why MARC won’t die (even though it should)
  • Vendor shenanigans and the art of reading between contract lines
  • Real talk about budgets, staffing, and technical debt
  • The absurdity of trying to run 21st-century services on systems designed when floppy disks were cutting-edge

What This Isn’t

  • Vendor marketing disguised as thought leadership
  • Another blog telling you to “embrace change” without acknowledging you have zero budget
  • Polite professional discourse that avoids uncomfortable truths
  • A place where we pretend every system works as advertised

The Rules

  1. No corporate speak. If I catch myself writing “synergy” or “paradigm shift,” I delete the whole post.
  2. Name names when warranted. Vague-posting about “a major ILS vendor” helps nobody.
  3. Admit mistakes. I’ll get things wrong. I’ll update posts when I do.
  4. Respect librarians, not systems. Systems can be terrible. Librarians are doing their best with terrible systems.

Why Anonymous?

Because libraries are small, vendors have long memories, and I like being employable.

Also because the point isn’t who I am—it’s what needs saying. Judge the takes, not the credentials.

What’s Coming

One More Thing

If you’re a vendor reading this: I’m not here to destroy you. I’m here to push you to do better. If your system is good, I’ll say so. If it’s a dumpster fire held together by wishful thinking and expired support contracts, I’ll say that too.

If you’re a librarian reading this: You’re not crazy. Your system is that broken. Your budget is that absurd. Your vendor is taking advantage of vendor lock-in. You’re doing an amazing job with impossible constraints.

Let’s talk about it honestly for once.

Welcome to chaos.

Have a topic you want me to cover? A vendor horror story? A system that’s driving you to drink? Drop me a line. Anonymous contributions welcome.

Also: This site is built with Astro and costs me nothing to host. Because practicing what I preach about sustainable tech choices.

Authenticity note: With the exception of images, this post was not created with the aid of any LLM product for prose or description. It is original writing by a human librarian with opinions.