Thursday is Tell an Old Joke Day

By Stacey Anter

The Library Detective

Groucho Marx once said, “Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” This is one of my favorite jokes and Groucho is always a classic. I always love a good joke, no matter how old it may be. Why am I telling you this? July 24th is Tell An Old Joke Day. Here are some books to get you chuckling: The Friars Club Encyclopedia of Jokes; Front Porch Old Time Songs, Jokes and Stories by Wayne Erbsen; The Random House Book of Jokes and Anecdotes; The 50 Funniest American Writers; 2000 Sure-Fire Jokes for Speakers and Writers by Robert Orben. There are plenty more children’s joke books so feel free to ask a children’s librarian to help you find some.

Maybe you can kick back in your yard and relax in a hammock reading a joke book on July 22nd for National Hammock Day. Or eat some junk food left over from your last summer barbeque on July 21st for National Junk Food Day. Or have a nice hot fudge sundae on July 25th for National Hot Fudge Sundae Day. Or, perhaps in true Rhode Island fashion, have a coffee milkshake (or a cabinet) for National Coffee Milkshake Day.  

Not just this month, but whenever possible, let’s try to be more courteous while using our cell phones. July is Cellphone Courtesy Month and there is actually cell phone etiquette, to keep in mind. It is really common courtesy, but sometimes we tend to get so wrapped up in technology and social media and we forget what we should do. 1. Pay attention to those who are with you (be present.) 2. Don’t get distracted. Distracted driving is just as dangerous as driving drunk (the Mythbusters proved it.)  3. You don’t need to shout or speak loudly. Technology has advanced so much that it can catch softer sounds.  4. Don’t discuss private matters in public. Private is private. Wait until you are alone to discuss private matters. 5. When you are with others, keep it short. 6. Learn how to turn it off and do so when necessary. 7. If you use your cell phone to play games, watch videos, listen to music, use headphones. You wouldn’t want to hear someone else’s music or video game while you are next to them. 8. Turn down screen brightness when in dark areas like a movie theatre. Have consideration for others. 9. Don’t take pictures/videos of others without permission, and certainly don’t post them up on Facebook without their permission. 10. Exercise good taste. Remember that others may be able to see your screen so keep it tasteful.

And speaking of technology, July 25th is System Administrator Appreciation Day. No matter how much or how little knowledge you have about computers, it’s important to appreciate those who make it their job to update and maintain computers and networks. At my library, let me just say that our IT guy rocks!  So, if you work with a System Administrator, or an IT department, show them some love.

I call myself the Library Detective because I can find the answers to any question you can think of, or at least I can point you in the right direction.  To find out more about jokes, cell phone etiquette, or system administrators, visit your local library; there are more Library Detectives there, too. If you would like to read other blog posts, come visit my Wordpress blog at http://librarydetective.wordpress.com/