WoodyGuth3 "I'm an Archivist [for Jon Stewart]".mov
3:12
A funny and humorous ReadAloud&Sing-Along music video of explanation and defiance for underappreciated and misunderstood librarians, archivists, electronic records and information managers everywhere. Based on Monty Python's Flying Circus's "Lumberjack Song", this was inspired by The Daily Show's Jon Stewart's dis of the MLS degree in November 2009. IThe WoodyGuth3 are a "Shockwaves NME Video Award" winning Brooklyn-based folk ensemble. They got their first big break singing "Howdi Do" on Brooklyn Blowback TV. If you can't take a joke, sing along. This song is for everyone including the blind, dyslexic and print-disabled. Remember, "Good Archiving Starts with You."
Tags: archivists storytellers
Added: 2 years ago
From: brooklynblowback
Views: 1,225
"I'm an Archivist (For Jon Stewart)"
By David Kay, MLS and The Woody Guth3
O, I'm an Archivist
And I'm alright
I work all day and I write at night
He's an Archivist
And he's alright
He works all day and he writes at night
I organize collections
Put things in their proper place
I also manage backups
To make sure they aren't erased
He organizes collections
Puts them in their proper place
He manages the backups
And makes sure things aren't erased
I catalog and classify
And create good metadata
If I make a mistake
I correct my own errata
Describe all the assets
In their content and their form
And I can even tell you
If it is "digital born"
He describes all the assets
In their content and their form
And he can even tell you
If it is "digital born"
I create controlled vocabularies
And I usually remind
"Good archiving starts with you"
So let me help you find
If you trust your Archivist
You'll get what you deserve
For when you check in 10 years
Everything will be preserved
If you trust your Archivist
You'll get what you deserve
For when you check in 10 years
Everything will be preserved
I work closely with others
To determine best tactics
I'm always searching for ways
To do "best practices"
It might seem very funny
That we're a professional trade
(Ha-Ha!)
We monetize collections
But we're still underpaid
It might seem very funny
That they're a professional trade
They monetize collections
But they're still underpaid
With imminent obsolescence
It's a race against time
If you do not strategize
It could be a serious crime
There are things you need right now
And things you don't need yet
With a good Archivist
You won't be filled with regret
There are things you need right now
And things you don't need yet
With a good Archivist
You won't be filled with regret
I manage all the knowledge
I update the database
On Friday afternoons
I free up server space
At the end of every project
I plan for our escape
I digitize the assets
And archive them all to tape
At the end of every project
He plans for our escape
He digitizes assets
And archives them all to tape
O, I'm an Archivist
And I'm alright
I work all day and I write at night
He's an Archivist
And he's alright
He works all day and he writes at night
Performed by The Woody Guth3
Courtesy of Brooklyn Blowback TV. Copyright 2010
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From blogspot.com:
It's really rare that archival job postings get much attention outside of the archival community, but the University of California-Santa Cruz's recent announcement that it was seeking an archivist to manage its Grateful Dead Archive has gotten more media coverage than the recent confirmation of David Ferriero as the 10th Archivist of the United States. The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and lots of other media outlets are all over the story.
Last night, Jon Stewart (who needs some help with the pronunciation of "archivist") got into the act. As evidenced by the reactions posted to the Daily Show site itself and the Archives and Archivists listserv, reaction is mixed: some archivists think it's hilarious, while others are insulted by the offhand manner in which Stewart dismisses our profession. FWIW, I'm in the former camp. Yeah, the "alphanumerically?" bit is kind of snotty, but this is a man who, upon receiving an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, said: "As a person, I am honored to get it; as an alumnus, I have to say I believe we can do better."
Here's a transcript of Stewart's outburst:
"Right now, the University of California at Santa Cruz is offering over 68,000 dollars a year for you to move to Santa Cruz and be their brand new Grateful Dead Archivist. Here's what they're saying. They're looking for someone who loves the Grateful Dead, yet somehow also has exceptional organizational skills. Uh, I don't know how they're gonna make this, y'know, basically UC Santa Cruz is saying ... I need a miracle.
"By the way, if you love the Grateful Dead and you have a bachelor's degree in Archives Management, and you think that going out there and getting this job would be a slam dunk, think again! The university requires that you have a MASTERS DEGREE in archives management! They're not even gonna look at your [shit] if you have a bachelor's degree! That might fly at the Spin Doctors archive at UC Suck-My-[Balls], but this is the Grateful Dead!
"By the way, a masters degree in Archives Management? What does that even mean? 'Oh, I've got a masters degree, I can archive things alphabetically or numerically. What?! Alphanumerically? Slow down, I don't have a doctorate!' There you have it, 4 years of undergrad, 2 years of graduate school and now you can spend your days picking blotter acid out of Phil Lesh's underwear from the Blues for Allah tour."
The job itself sounds like a great opportunity for a really high-energy archivist, who will work with approximately 600 linear feet of archival records, news clippings, artifacts, photographs, posters, audio and video recordings, and publications by and about the band and correspondence and art contributed over the years by their fans.
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From nyarchivists.org:
David Kay is a digital archivist and Director of Archives at Little Airplane Productions, an animation studio in New York City. He is also founder of New York Digital Archivists Working Group (NYDAWG) He writes limericks and songs, and performs music live and on YouTube as The Woody Guth3.
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