In Part 4 of "Meredith Hires Herself," Meredith and Meredith discuss their partnership and the mission of StandUpLibrarian.com. Meredith performs her library comedy material for the first time.
***Although inspired in part by true incidents, the following video is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event, even though the actresses look a lot like Meredith Myers and say they are numerous times. The Meredith Myers on stage, however, is the real Meredith Myers. In reality, Meredith Myers is the ultimate professional and takes her job as a librarian very seriously, so any future employers should not let this video effect their decision to hire her. The only thing she is guilty of is having a sense of humor during tough economic times. And yes, parts of this disclaimer was pulled from the "Law & Order" TV show.
For the entire month of June, in celebration of StandUpLibrarian.com being one year old, I have been posting fictional videos of me “hiring myself,” which feature two different Merediths (the librarian and the comedian), being interviewed about their positions with StandUpLibrarian.com. The video series was always intended to be a spoof of reality TV shows that have over-the-top personalities talking straight to the camera about the people they either work for or are friends with, for the sole purpose of sharing “private” information. Everyone should know by now that this information is then edited to be even more controversial by the producers of the show, in the hopes of creating some kind of storyline so the viewers continue to tune in.
It was an idea I had a while ago to incorporate my love of acting and my need to find humor in an economic situation that has prevented me from finding work in a field I have absolute passion for, in a position where I have the necessary qualifications. Of course, the videos were always going to be risky, since comedy is often subjective, and me playing myself could become confusing to people, especially to those who don’t really know me or perhaps want to hire me. Is she bipolar? A drunk? Or worse. Not funny? As an artist, I can’t always explain everything all the time, nor do I want to. For example, in this fourth episode, I purposely edit the comedian character to seem cynical about the library field because most comedians do mock things. How do you think jokes are born? However, towards the end of the video, I replay that same clip in its entirety to show that not everything or everyone is what they seem. After all, editors are the true talent of reality shows.
It has always been my mission with StandUpLibrarian.com to entertain, while educating people about libraries and their importance. At the same time, I’ve also been trying to show the diversity of the librarians themselves. Not all librarians wear glasses, nor are they conservative, or look like your grandmother. Some of us curse, make bad jokes, and even enjoy a glass of wine once in awhile. So what. At the end of the day, we are all distinct individuals bringing varied and unique experiences and skills to the reference desk, with the commitment to share information and our love for libraries.
Unfortunately for me, (and many others), I have been having a heck of a time getting to that paid reference desk due to our poor economy. So do you think I am going to just sit around, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for it to turn around? Hell no! All of us have a responsibility to do what we can RIGHT NOW, or else there won’t be a job, or a library, tomorrow. So, this blog is MY reference desk. As is the comedy stage, my You Tube channel, or anywhere I else I choose to go and share information. Just because I am not speaking to you from behind a reference desk in a library, does not make me any less qualified than those that are. I say this because I feel like I had to. Many times I wonder if those looking to hire me come on here and misunderstand my intentions, so let me make it perfectly clear…I may tell jokes but I do not view my six years studying to be a librarian in order to work with other librarians I absolutely admire, the punch line of my jokes. Enough said.
