I work in a public library and it's a privilege to serve the public. It's also a great deal of fun. Sure, we have all the stress of any public service job. Someone is looking for something they cannot find and their frustrated. They take it out on us (though a smile goes a long, long way in defusing their ire). Or someone is searching inappropriate sites on the Internet. That may make for an embarrassing or even disturbing situation, but generally not life threatening. Other times we may not be on the same wavelength with co-workers and we need to negotiate a bit. But, by and large, we have it good. We get to help people and when they find something they want, they get to take it home for three weeks -- for free!
Sometimes I think we forget what an essential service public libraries offer, or how fortunate we are to be able to help people use them. US News & World Report (http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2008/12/11/best-careers-2009-librarian.html) listed librarians as a "best career." I heartily concur. I look forward to the time when I will be able to identify myself as a librarian with a capital "L."
No comments:
Post a Comment