Reshelving myself

"Recataloged and Reshelving" summarizes where I am in life at the moment. I've recataloged myself*, and am working on getting myself reshelved into a more appropriate situation. Because of the current economy, it is turning out to be more of a task than I anticipated**, but the end result of a vocation that I can love should be well worth it.

Why Librarianship?

Well, I like helping people. It is great to be able to direct them to the exact information that they need. I like teaching them how to find information. This was one of the things that I liked about teaching, but frankly, I think I was much too nice to be a teacher. Patient niceness is an advantage at the Reference Desk, but it is less useful when half the class seems to feel that homework is optional. But to be able to actually help somebody...whether the task is to find a book, do extensive database research, finesse the copier, or untangle some software issue...is a good thing. The task may seem trivial at times, but it is important to the person who takes the trouble to ask for help.

Of course, there is also the books. I know libraries are not just books. They're books, music, movies, media, a public meeting place, a place to learn interesting things, and so much more. But they were originally houses for the written word, and I love books. I love information about far away places and things. I love seeing everyday things through another's perspective. I love story. Frankly, I think most novels have much better plots than many movies or television shows.*** I have very few people that I truly admire, but Nancy Pearl is one of them. Her sheer enthusiasm for finding the right book for the right person at the right time is something I would like to emulate.****

To me, that is the essence of librarianship; finding the "correct information" for each person, whether it be a good story, database assistance, deep research in journals, a forgotten song, an internet search, a book talk group, a travel presentation, a teen game day, a child's story hour, the work of a featured artist, promotion of literacy, or any of the other myriad ways that libraries serve their patrons. Because people come looking for these things, even the smallest assistance touches their lives in a good way.

* A Master of Library Science Degree

** Time to send out more resumes...

*** Come to think of it, the TV shows I tend to gravitate to are the ones with long story arcs that somewhat resemble serial novels.

**** I'm also enough of a geek that any librarian who has an action figure modeled after her tickles me pink.