Dewey Decimal divas
Librarians ditch their cardigans and don feather boas to compete in the Book Cart Drill Team World Championships.
from the June 27, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
"I think it means a lot to the community, seeing librarians spoofing themselves," said Deidre Ross, director of conference services for the ALA. She started the world championship in 2005 when she realized how popular the drill teams were becoming in local communities. "You don't picture librarians doing this."
With the "graying" of the library profession – half of all credentialed librarians will reach retirement age in the coming decade – there is hope that this new fun and funky image of the modern librarian will help recruit young people to the field.
When the carts got rolling, the competition was stiff. Chris Rich of the Readin' & Rollin' team brought the house down with his finale: an audacious one-wheeled spin, the triple Lutz of book cart stunts. Everyone grooved along to the "Jungle Boogie" beat of the Gettysburg Gett Down With Your Funky Shelf team performance, and they won high artistic scores. The Delaware Diamonds were stunning in their Busby Berkeley tribute, complete with a feather-fanned dancer sashaying atop a runway of book carts. And the Houston Book Divas stole the crowd's heart striking that famous Rosie the Riveter muscle pose.
When the scores were tallied, it was close, but the Book Divas rolled home on the golden book cart (it'll be shipped to Houston, where celebrations are planned). The Gettysburg Funky Shelf took the silver-painted cart, and the Delaware Diamonds captured the bronze.
"I was dazzled; it was fantastic," exclaimed Holly Bunt, director of the Western Reserve Academy library in Hudson, Ohio. She and her colleagues immediately began thinking about forming their own drill team. That's the way the drill team idea seeds itself across the land.
"It shows we can do more than sit at a desk and check books in and out," said Ms. Bunt. "It shows we have creativity and coordination."
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