Meredith Performs for the Friends of the West Hollywood Library

Stand-up Librarian Meredith Myers performs her first all literary/library comedy set for the Friends of the West Hollywood Library on August 20, 2011 as part of her mission to educate while entertaining people about the importance of libraries. 

On Saturday, August 20^th, I had my debut as the ‘Stand-Up Librarian’ at an event for the Friends of the West Hollywood Library.  It was the first time I attempted to perform an all literary/library comedy set…at a podium…for sober people…at 10 in the morning.  Obviously, as a comedian used to performing in comedy clubs at night, I was somewhat out of my element, but the only pressure I put on myself was to be more popular than the free bagels, and that was probably pushing it.

The Friends group is mostly composed of a slightly older audience than those usually found in comedy clubs, but I doubted any of them would heckle me on a book joke so I wasn’t the least concerned about losing my cool.  I was the “headliner” of the event, which in the comedy world is a compliment since you are last on the program and generally the one everyone is waiting to see, but with this group I was facing possible walkouts should the bagels start to take affect too soon.

It was also comforting to be the only entertainment at the event, unless you count a certain audience member who enjoyed making bagels disappear into her handbag (but good for her, I forgot to eat and they had deviled eggs!)  I was also pretty confident that LibraryPark architect Jim Favaro and I weren’t doing the same material, which is sometimes embarrassing for a performer.  I can’t count him out though - his speech was good, I’m just hoping he doesn’t start telling jokes because he was pretty interesting to listen to and could steal my thunder at the library opening (hint hint, yes, I am available.)

When it came down to the performance, none of the above even crossed my mind.  I loved every minute of it.  Since starting my library degree in January of 2006, I have been on a new path in life where making people laugh is not always the top priority (probably not the smartest thing to say when being a comedian.)  What I really mean by that statement is that so many comedians put people down for sleeping with them or tell stories about how drunk people act, however, since I do that in my normal life, I wanted to try something more positive on stage, where the audience can actually learn something they might be able to use later on. 

In discussing the thing I love the most – libraries and reading – now I can educate the audience while also making examples of those people not using the library!  And that’s a ton of people.  Thanks to my new positive approach to life, I have found that I am finally performing for the right reasons because it shouldn’t be about the jokes or the applause, but instead about your intention.  And my intention is to go after those idiots now…yes, ‘I Hate Reading’ FB page, I am starting with you.  

For information on being a Friend of the West Hollywood Library, visit: http://www.wehofol.org/  

*Special thanks to Linda Demmers and the Friends of the West Hollywood Library!

Stand-Up Librarian Performance & Hard Hat Tour!

I am very excited to announce that I will be doing my first official Stand-Up Librarian performance this Saturday, August 20th from 10am – 12 for the Friends of the West Hollywood Library! It is with this news that I am also sharing my video of the private hard hat tour I took a few weeks ago of the new West Hollywood LibraryPark. I hope you will not only take the time to see what beautiful opportunities are available to all of us with the building of this extraordinary structure but perhaps also join us on Saturday to learn how you can become a friend and volunteer at the library, make a donation, or just support yours truly with plenty of laughter! 

Stand-up Librarian Meredith Myers goes on a private hard hat tour of the new West Hollywood LibraryPark with tour guide Dan Adams, Senior Associate at Heery International, the firm handling the construction. Adams discusses nearing completion of Phase 1 of the LibraryPark Master Plan, which includes the 32,000 square foot LEED-certified West Hollywood Library. Other tour highlights include the Children’s Theater, the West Hollywood Room and Archive, and the new City Council Chambers, which doubles as a performance space (perhaps for a certain Stand-Up Librarian?!) 

Friends of the West Hollywood Library have invited you...

Saturday August 20, 2011

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

West Hollywood Community Auditorium 

(Council meeting location) 
647 North San Vicente Blvd, 
West Hollywood, CA 90069

RSVP to 323-929-2359

If you are interested in: 

• Volunteering at the new West Hollywood Library 

• Joining the Friends of the Library 

• Serving as a tour guide for the library dedication 

• Working in the new Friends’ bookstore 

• Serving on a Friends committee 

• Hearing about the building from architect Jim Favaro 

• Buying a bookshelf in honor of a friend 

• Laughing with comedienne Meredith Myers, the Stand-Up Librarian 

• Meeting the Librarian and sharing the excitement of the new building 

• Enjoying a light breakfast 

• And more… 

For more information about the WeHo LibraryPark:
‪http://weholibraryfund.org/

To make a donation:
‪https://weholibraryfund.org/donate 

Hiking Mt. Baldy With a Purpose

I hate exercising without a purpose.  Like, running, for example.  The only time you will ever catch me running is if someone is chasing me…with a weapon.  And then it would have to be like a big scary butcher knife…with blood on it.  And even then I would think, maybe he’s a chef? 

However, as you age (for any casting directors out there, I will admit to being between the ages of 21 - 36), it is very important to remain active, so for the past month I have been trying to exercise at least 2 – 3 days a week.  But then that guy turned out to be a jerk so now I am left to hiking Griffith Park with my trainer Carlos because he too is unemployed and needs to take his anger out on someone.  I kid, I kid.  He is the nicest guy in the world and I’m not just saying that because he is training me for free.  I am also saying that because we are working out tomorrow and I don’t want 4 reps of 15 to become 4 reps of “until I say stop.”  He loves torturing me with that one.

Anyway, when Carlos mentioned that he was going hiking with some of his military buddies and thought I was finally in enough shape to come along, I immediately thought - heat, sweat, endless walking on an incline?  No thanks, I think I have church.  Then he said “Human Target” star Mark Valley was organizing it, and I exclaimed, “Hallelujah!  Hiking with that view?  Bring it on!”  Well, in my head I said it.  I didn’t really want everybody knowing I had a crush on him.  Jeez, you gotta play these things cool, so instead I am announcing it on my blog like a huge nerd.  But seriously ladies, you actually want to be dead last on a hike with Mark in your sights.  I’m no fool; I need motivation to get up that hill!

While these guys were obviously conditioned for such hikes, (being in the military can prepare one for anything), I decided to go to the Santa Monica Public Library to learn just what to expect.  So according to the library’s databases, Mark’s IMDB credits listed that his show “Human Target” had been canceled. Score!  He would need cheering up.  Instead of a walking stick, he could lean on me for support!  I also looked up some books on hiking safety: bring water, wear shoes, what to do should a snake bite you in the ass when you are trying to pee, whatever.  I was ready for my date.  Hike. 

My friend, comedian PJ Walsh ended up doing the hike as well, but I don’t want to spoil the video, or more importantly, use more written material here that could go into the TV pilot I am writing called “Mark Still Has No Idea Who Meredith Is,” so here’s the point of this whole blog post.  The library has a vast amount of resources on everything from hikes to fashionable clothing that makes your butt look good on hikes to researching actors you have crushes on that are going on hikes.  Use it. 

On a more personal note, reaching the top of that mountain was important for two reasons: 1) Somebody had a sandwich up there for me, and 2) I needed to believe in myself again.  I wanted to prove to myself that even when things look absolutely impossible, they are still attainable with the right preparation and outlook.  Lately I’ve been asking myself why I continue to spend countless hours on a blog that nobody seems to read, or applying for library jobs that never seem to materialize.  I’ve thought of giving up.  Then some dude comes into your life, invites you on a hike, and shows you that you can reach the top of the mountain – you can get that library job – and your blog is kind of funny.  I wish I could say that guy was Mark Valley but while he is a very nice guy, he didn’t ask for my number.  The guy I’m talking about is my friend and trainer Carlos.  A buff, ex-military dude that reminds me each and every day that exercise always has a purpose...and most of the time, it is to prove just how strong you really are.

Stand-Up Librarian Meredith Myers hikes Mt. Baldy (10,068 ft), the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains on the border of San Bernardino County, utilizing resources found at the Santa Monica Public Library.  Joining her is fellow comedian PJ Walsh, the “Human Target” Mark Valley, and three fearless ex-military dudes.  Will she reach the top?  A true test of endurance and strength, she soon learns that the 11-mile journey has little to do with physicality or experience, and everything to do with preparation and just how badly she wants it.

For more information about Mt. Baldy:

http://www.mtbaldy.com

For information on the Santa Monica Public Library:

http://smpl.org/

For information on PJ Walsh and his one-man show:

http://www.pjwalsh.com/

And Mark Valley can be seen this fall on “Harry’s Law”:

http://www.nbc.com/harrys-law/

First Official Press Release!

For Immediate Release

STANDUPLIBRARIAN.COM OFFERS LAUGHS & LIBRARIES

Comedian/Librarian Meredith Myers Educates While Entertains About the Importance of Libraries

Los Angeles (August 1, 2011) – Have you heard the one about the comedian who walks into a library and decides to work there?  Then perhaps you haven’t met Comedian/Librarian Meredith Myers, who created StandUpLibrarian.com with the mission to educate while entertaining people about the importance of libraries…and that is no joke.

After graduating with her Masters degree in Library and Information Sciences to an economy offering few librarian jobs, Myers, also a comedian since 2002, decided to create StandUpLibrarian.com in an effort to showcase how varied, fun, and vital libraries are to our current society.  By combining witty commentary with educational and entertaining videos, including the latest where Myers treats storytime as an opportunity to read a book about the barriers to employment, StandUpLibrarian.com intends to bring an awareness to the often stereotyped library field revealing that librarians are as diverse as the libraries themselves.  Through interviews with experts and authors, tours of unique libraries across the country, library and literary-specific stand-up performances and sketches, not to mention plenty of book recommendations, Myers’ unique perspective and humor is perhaps just what libraries need in a tough economic time where city budgets seem quick to eliminate them or reduce staffing.

“Just making people laugh is simply not enough for me anymore,” says Meredith Myers of StandUpLibrarian.com.  “In becoming a librarian, I’ve found that it is also important to help people learn.  With StandUpLibrarian.com, I want people to be motivated by the comical, educational information that I share to then make positive change in their own lives by utilizing the limitless free resources found at the library.  Think of me as your independent comedic reference librarian here to serve you with a variety of information and hopefully, plenty of laughs too, either from me or through promoting other comedians and writers I admire.”

Myers’ StandUpLibrarian.com online presence, which consists of her website, Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube Channel, are all designed to replicate the old-school card catalog, mixed with the flare of stand-up comedy.  Colors of tan and brown are intertwined with images of Myers in various stand-up comedy/librarian-like poses: straddling a book cart, performing for stuffed animals in the children’s section, and working the reference desk, most likely sharing both laughs and information.

In just over a year, Myers’ StandUpLibrarian.com has featured interviews with Bestselling Author Christopher Rice, Comedian Paula Poundstone, Turner Classic Movies Host Robert Osborne, Rocker/Novelist Nathan Larson, and Senator Jack Reed on Capitol Hill.  Myers has also offered video library tours of such unique libraries as the Whistler Public Library in Vancouver BC Canada to discuss the Olympics, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum Library to talk trains, fundraising for the new LibraryPark in West Hollywood, and the private library of the legendary Magic Castle in Hollywood, open exclusively to magicians.  Not to ever forget her challenges with finding employment, Myers often shares comical stories and videos of her job search, where one series consisted of her hiring herself and setting up her own reference desk at a local public library.

Myers graduated with her Masters degree in Library and Information Sciences in 2010 and has been performing stand-up comedy since 2002 after checking out a comedy book at her local public library.  She wrote, produced, and starred in her one-woman show Like a Publicist off-off Broadway in 2003, which received rave reviews and was based on her years working in public relations, where clients and accounts included Oscar-nominated actor Jeremy Renner to fashion designer Vivienne Tam to music artists Kelis, Diana Krall, Billy Gilman, and Whitney Houston to movie studios, television networks, consumer products, and sports teams.  Myers is also a writer and consultant, who divides her time between Los Angeles and Florida. Her mission with StandUpLibrarian.com is to educate while entertaining people about libraries and their necessity.  Her favorite book is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

For more information on Meredith Myers & StandUpLibrarian.com, visit:

http://www.StandUpLibrarian.com

http://www.facebook.com/StandUpLibrarian

https://twitter.com/StandUpLibraryN

http://www.youtube.com/StandUpLibrarian

***To speak with Meredith Myers about performances, speaking engagements, publicity requests, consulting, freelance writing or most importantly, JOB OPPORTUNITIES, please write her an email at: Meredith@MeredithMyers.com.

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