Today – in fact, all week – I am pretending to be the librarian at my son’s school. While the professional is away on a week’s vacation, the amateur (moi) is sitting at the desk, checking books in and out, helping with the occasional research request, shelving the returns, reading stories and poems to every class in the lower grades and, basically, providing access.
What a gift! To be able to spend the whole day surrounded by books. To be able to read stories to kids (not a relative among them) and hear their responses. To pretend to be a librarian.
So, in honour of my temporary gig, here’s a list of reasons why I believe librarians have the best job in the world.
1. Books. Surrounded by books. Handling books. The feel, smell, sight, sound of books. You can have your Kindle, people. Give me a real book any day.
2. Readers. Readers love discussing books with other readers. Imagine having a job that requires you to interact daily, and in a concrete way, with readers? Talking about books, authors, stories, illustrations…heaven!
3. Kids. In a school library, kids are the energy that lights the room. They are hungry for books, information and stories. And reading a story out loud to a group of attentive children must be at the top of the Fun Things To Do In A Library hit list.
4. Information. Tons of it. Some of it accessed through computers, some of it found by lifting a book off the shelf and leafing through its pages. The room positively hums with information, all waiting to be discovered. And every source has been searched out, vetted and tested by a librarian. They are the wizards of research.
5. Oasis. Refuge. Peace. Order. Like water to a thirsty traveller, a safe haven in stressful times, a quiet corner to escape the chaos of daily life, a place where numbers and letters tell you exactly where to find what you’re looking for…
That’s the world librarians create. Wish I could do this job every day!
Oh, what a wonderful way to spend a week...
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the Kindle. Nothing will replace the feel of a book in my hands. I don't care if you can "even turn the pages". I want to physically do it.
So true, Diva. We are tactile creatures, aren't we? I rely on technology for a lot of things - but turning pages is not one of them!
ReplyDeleteHi Jean. I totally agree with you. Part of reading a book is the whole experience of holding it, smelling it, and even getting a paper cut when you turn the page. No Kindle for me any time soon.
ReplyDeleteYou have a nice blog. I'm sure I'll be back!