On Friday, I flew to Memphis, Tennessee to visit my college roommate and her family for the weekend. I had a connecting flight, and on the plane from Charlotte to TN.
I sat next to a lady reading a, and of course I the library bar code on her book, and thought, "oh she uses the library."
She was pleasant, she said hello and I did to. Everywhere outside of New York most people are cordial to one another.
I was all prepared to continue to read Hotlanta, however, she continued to talk to me.
We chatted, she asked was I flying to Memphis for business or pleasure, and where was I from, general airplane banter. I was in school, and she asked what I was studying. I said oh I go to “Library School”. She said “are you kidding?” I said no. Then, she said, I’m a librarian. If we were on Seinfeld I would have hit her, and said “get out”.
Well needless to say, we talked for the entire hour. Sylvie, is an academic librarian at a Pharmacy College in Philadelphia. She was originally from a very rural part TN, but got married to get out of TN. Sylvie originally worked for a construction company, and her boss asked her to organize the books in the company’s library. Having no experience or knowledge she called the American library Association (ALA) and soon attended their annual conferences. She also told me, at one conference she asked a librarian how she became a librarian, and she told her to go to Drexel’s Library School. She did and moved on to the Pharmacy College.
Sylie is 70 years old, and working only part-time she is not ready to retire, because she absolutely loves her job, and she learns something new.
I know what you mean, Sylvie.
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Hooray for Sylvie and chance encounters on planes. You know what I truly miss about working on the front lines at a library? Well, a lot of things..first, talking to teens every day and helping them find great stuff to read, listen to and watch. Hosting programs with them.
I also miss helping other people in the library--I was really good with senior citizens..I think you have to approach them in the same way you approach teens--both age groups feel very isolated from the rest of the world, so I think they should both be treated with extra respect and kindness.
But I agree with Sylvie on all counts, and this is exactly the reason why I've worked in libraries since I was 13. I work in a library not because I love books or teen lit or anything, but because I believe in giving people free stuff, especially information. And I love helping them find that information (even though I tend to be really bad at it sometimes :) ).
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