Project Tiara
A couple of weeks back, the amazing Val Forrestal started Project Tiara. Go ahead and read her post first, I'll wait. It's important.
Okay, so Project Tiara is a great idea. It's fun, it's fabulous, it's a way of giving library people a bit of celebration and an excuse to be nice to each other. There are times when we do good work, really good work. We might think to ourselves, "I'm fabulous and I deserve to get some credit for my awesomeness." In fact, we ought to do this more often. Please take moment and repeat after me: "I'm fabulous and I deserve to get some credit for my awesome deeds."
Personal triumph is great. In fact, you've been doing great work yourself. Really, you're awesome. So, put your left hand in the air, palm front and strike it with the palm of your right hand. Well done, you.
Didn't that feel good? A self -five is great. Project Tiara is there to take great feeling and celebration to the next level. Project Tiara brings in the acknowledgement of our peers and a tangible thing to look at and remember our triumphs. It's a nod of respect with a lasting reminder.
That's where Project Tiara comes in. If you know of a library person who has done damn fine work and deserves a tangible sign of acknowledgement, you can use Project Tiara to add some external validation and a tangible sign of their utter fabulosity. You are probably the person who's done that damn fine work. (Really, you're fantastic. Well done, you.)
Plus, tiaras make us feel good. We can put on a tiara and feel better about doing an unpleasant task, or a tiara can give us a boost when we need to be on top of our game. Have a difficult issue to solve? Put on your tiara and get to work!
Operation Bow Tie
So now that Val has done the heavy lifting and started Project Tiara, I want to expand the celebration options to include bow ties. Why bow ties? Bow ties give a little nod to library culture. Bow ties give the wearer a feeling of proper dress, pride, and a touch of whimsey. More than that, Operation Bow Tie uses sequined bow ties that have a tiara sparkle to them. These are not your everyday tweed-and-corduroy working bow ties. No ma'am. These are special celebratory bow ties.
So, if a tiara can make us feel like a princess,
and if a bow tie can make us feel proper and accomplished,
then a bow tie crossed with a tiara mixed with fabulous library people becomes a wondrous festival of happiness and approval.
Details of Operation Bow Tie
Operation: Bow Tie works much the same as Project: Tiara. In fact, if you've read all this and you are thinking "Tiaras are WAY MORE FABULOUS than bow ties!" then head back to Val's Project: Tiara page and join the tiara movement. If you have a person to nominate for Operation: Bow Tie, please follow these simple steps. (Cribbed from Project: Tiara.)
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dm me your name and address (i'm @nnschiller on twitter)
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tell me of some small (or large!) success you or someone you admire has had lately (it really can be anything. if ever i get caught up with my collection development i'm buying myself a cravat.)
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agree to send me a pic of the bow tie when you receive it, so i can do a series of posts celebrating your successes, small and large. (if you're camera shy, it can just be a pic of your torso, or you can put the bow tie on a pet, or really whatever. be creative!)
A final thought from Val:
You're out there every day doing a job that makes the world a better place, and you deserve to be celebrated for it. You need to pop on a tiara (or a sequined bow tie) every once in awhile and remind yourself (and the world!) how fucking awesome you are.