Clearing some cobwebs and shooing away the crickets

So it’s been a few months since I last updated this, but that’s only because things have been going well.  I’ve settled into my job, I’ve put my “study the non-fiction section” plan into action (up to the 300s now!), and life is pretty much on track.

I had a happy moment the other night at the library, though.  A man came in looking for articles on a topic he needed to write a paper on for a class, and I showed him how to use the library’s databases to find what he needed.  I pointed out some particularly useful databases to his topic and explained how to narrow and alter the search to find more relevant articles.

As he left, he stopped to tell me that he could never have found any of the information he did without my help, and was glad he’d asked.  He explained that at one time, he’d assumed there was no reason anyone would need a Master’s degree to become a librarian.  More recently, he’d begun to understand just how much librarians need to know.

The relief and gratitude in his voice just made my evening.  It’s nice to feel appreciated, but it’s even nicer to feel you’ve made a difference to another person.  And that’s why I became a librarian!

Checking one off the list…now what?

It’s still a strange feeling for me to finally be working at a library.  For so long, getting a library job was constantly at the top of my “To Do” list.  Now that I’ve achieved that goal, I’m starting to realize that I need to come up with something new to work on.

One of my secondary goals has always been to write for the various communities that I’m part of, and my output there has definitely increased.  However, I’m also getting excited because I think this is the right time to put into action a plan I’ve had brewing for quite some time.  The objective?  Learn everything!

Okay, maybe not everything.  But some time ago I got the idea of going through the non-fiction section at the library near my house, starting at the 000’s, and picking books that interest me.  That would be my starting point to start learning more about a broad range of subjects, and delving deeper wherever I feel like.  It seems a little ambitious, but after all, I do need a new goal.

What can I say?  I’m addicted to learning!

Working, but not at a library–or is it?

I’ve started a long-term (12 weeks) temp position at a bank here in Omaha, and while it’s not at a library I think I’m getting a little practice in, anyway. I work in file retention, ordering files, checking them out to people, sending them back to the warehouse, and pulling and reshelving the in-house files.

At the very least, I’m keeping sharp on filing things according to alphabetical and numerical order. I’m also getting better at tracking down hard-to-find items and checking on overdue ones.

If only I could call myself a bank librarian, I’d be set. Oh, well–at least I’ve got a paycheck coming in while I wait for a library interview.

Library dance party!

Someone pointed this Youtube video out to me yesterday. I’ve never heard of the singer, and the song seems like your typical dance music fare, but it caught my interest because the entire video is set inside a library! It also features a (now virtually obsolete) card catalog, but I would think it’s there primarily to emphasize the stuffy and old-fashioned feel the video is going for.

Too bad more libraries don’t feature dance breaks, eh?

I was also amused to see that the video showed a guy being given the “remove your glasses and ruffle your hair in order to suddenly become super-attractive” trope. Usually (in movies, television, etc.) it’s a girl who’s at the receiving end of this “makeover.”

The harridan or the harlot?

Lately I’ve been thinking about the general image of librarians in society. I suppose, however, I should say the images of librarians. There’s the stuffy, uptight, bun-wearing, finger-shushing hag on one hand, and then there’s the sexy, uninhibited, provocative Playboy-centerfold disciplinarian on the other.

Quite an interesting two-sided coin, isn’t it?

Much as I hate to confirm any generalizations, in a lot of ways I realize that I fit in nicely with at least some form of the traditional librarian image. I’m a mousy brunette, I wear glasses, I tend to correct other people’s grammar, and I read constantly. If you throw in the part about being the wife of a (soon-to-be) pastor, then that pretty much seals my fate as far as first impressions go.

Even so, I like to play with (and play off) that stereotype. Self-parody can be fun, and I can think of far worse professions for stereotypes. Lawyers, for example. Or DMV employees. Sexy librarian beats boring accountant any day!