#librarian life

[icarus-suraki]

So Fox News ran a story about how they think libraries are turning into drug-infested sex dens and I am shocked, shocked that I was never offered any drugs during my 15+ years working in libraries.

[mothdogs]

Working as a public librarian is like. I feel that I am, for the most part, a valued member of my community. Just in the last couple of weeks I’ve helped a patron navigate a job portal so she could apply for jobs. I showed a lady how to get free legal assistance for her immigration visa. I held a little boy’s hand and we danced together in a stream of bubbles after storytime. All of these things are wonderful and great interactions that make me feel like I’m doing good work.

But then you get the people who are just fucking assholes. The man who demands to borrow the newspaper every day with never a please or thank you. The racist dickhead who seethes in fury when someone isn’t available at the snap of a finger to help him on the computer. The woman this morning who called me a slur because I wouldn’t open our doors early to let her in so she could pick up her book.

And like, I know that working with the public means working with the public—good, bad, and ugly. I also know that I’m a fucking fool to expect or hope for a sense of common human decency from strangers. I worked retail for 7 years before landing my librarian job. I know people are harried and cruel and whatever else. But it just sucks so much that some people can ruin your whole fucking day and then just walk on out the library door with no care for who they hurt or what they say.

I’m sick of getting home from work so, so many days and being eaten up all night thinking about how people are horrible to my coworkers and I for no reason. So if you’re reading this, please just give an extra smile to the next public servant or retail worker you interact with because chances are they need it like I fucking do

[jewishraypalmer]

#but in general if anyone ever needs to know the title of a book and can only vaguely describe the cover then I'm your girl 😂

Ooooo ok. I'm thinking of a children's book. The cover is blue and there's a girl in a red dress on it looking up at something that takes up half the cover.

-anntickwittee

Is it Noura's Crescent Moon??

[kijiboop]

Our children's librarian does storytimes three mornings a week. They are insanely popular and she does them single-handedly, from conception to planning to execution. One person who works insanely hard to get kids excited about books and reading.

She doesn't take breaks or cancel storytimes lightly. She's preparing programs and materials for summer reading (because we have to think that far ahead in libraries), so she decided to take a break this month.

Cue patron coming in this morning (when there is normally a storytime every Tuesday morning at 10 and 10:30).

Patron: "There is a program for children today at ten?"

Me: "Not today."

Patron: "But I saw on the website that there is a program."

Me: "Normally there is but it's cancelled for today."

Britt (teen librarian): "They're cancelled for the next three weeks. There's one in a different branch, though."

Patron: (to me) "But I saw on the website."

Me: "Not today. She's cancelled them."

Patron: "Why?"

I stood there dumbfounded for the longest time. What I wanted to say was "because she has a life outside of singing and dancing for your kid," but I didn't. Thankfully, Britt was still there throwing out options and offerings until the patron thanked us and walked away.

My second interaction of the day, folks. This doesn't bode well.

[figmentrinzler]

Projects to do when I get back from vacation:

-make my Käärijä flannel

-Figment embroidery

-put new patches and pins on my Hockey Battle Vest

-make a Figment flannel? Or flannel hoodie?

-Night in the Woods vest hoodie? Idk.

-work on escape room for work.

-post that one-shot thats been circling in my head to ao3?

-read a shitton of young reader graphic novels for the state book award committee before we start meeting in August. Oops.

[yourtouchismidas]

its the way the loans team supervisor said “caught fire” so casually when we asked what had happened to our printer

[thefutureexmxmalcolm]

Me, a librarian, riding along in the bookmobile.

The driver of another vehicle waves us by when we're waiting to turn left.

I nod, contemplatively. "That person is an ally of literacy."

My colleague does not dignify this with an answer, but I think deep down he knows it to be true.

[honeybeelullaby]

Today I said goodbye to the library where I've been working for almost 9 years. A new era of my life begins, but I'll always remember the place fondly and I'll treasure the memories of my colleagues and patrons. Libraries are oases in these dark times. Keep them alive. Go to your local public libraries and enjoy everything they have to offer you.

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

Is it weird that the most deeply satisfying part of my day so far has been testing pens before I put them into Take-Home Kits?

[cupofteajones]

Kat Leyh Talk Now Online

Kat Leyh Talk Now Online

Didn’t manage to make the Kat Leyh author talk Whitney and I conducted ? Don’t worry! The full discussion is now online. Whitney did such a wonderful interviewing the comic book artist and it was a conversation you definitely want to check out! Watch Below! (more…)

[mothdogs]

When you finally send the Big Scary Work Email that’s been sitting on your to-do list for the past week and then you click send and it’s like. Oh okay. The world didn’t actually end. And also what is wrong with me

[jewishraypalmer]

When you're a librarian on the social media team:

[legolasvegas]

Let’s not forget the time a kindergartener turned in a book sopping wet, and my aide brought it over to show me. She was appalled. She would not stop saying, “I reSPECT books!” Ma’am it was in the hands of a five year old. This will happen again.

[tabbyofwisdom]

I had SUCH a 90s kid moment today. I had a kiddo ask for a book from a series called "Last Kids on Earth" but when I typed it in to check to see if we had it, I typed in New Kids on the Block.

[ohmysatan42]

Not me adding loads of random shit to my queue during a ten minute break at work.

[audhdlibrarian]

TFW you hate your job so you apply for a new one and get it but you have stockholm syndome or smth so you're just spiraling your way through all the forms and trainings