Library Revolution

I do a lot of griping on this blog about the things I don’t like about libraries. Although I am much more positive in real life, sometimes it seems here like all I do is complain.

So I’d like to dedicate this post to the things I am thankful for in LibraryWorld. While I may sometimes seem pretty negative about the state of libraries and library service, this isn’t really the case… we have a lot to be happy about and thankful for!

• My job, my profession. When I decided (not too many years back) to leave my first career and try something new, there were several things I was looking for. I wanted to work in a professional environment with intelligent people. I wanted to be able to put my skill set to use in a way that would actually help people. I wanted to find myself facing intellectual challenges and work in a potential growth industry. My, did I find all of these things and more in librarianship! Not only that, I was able to find a job in that profession that fits me perfectly and that I love. Not everyone is nearly so lucky in their professional lives.
• Library Professionals. It’s all about the people. I really think that the professionals I come in contact with every day really make libraries the valuable entities they are. And not a day goes by that I don’t feel lucky to deal with the talented, intelligent, dedicated folks I encounter, no matter what library I seem to be visiting. Library and Information professionals always seem up for a good debate, a stimulating conversation, and a bad cup of coffee. They are always ready to go the extra mile to help their customers and their colleagues, and I am so fortunate that I can interact with them daily!
• Public Support. Sometimes, while having conversations with librarians from other parts of the country and the world, I am reminded of hoe fortunate I am for living in an area with such strong public support for libraries. In general, the patrons are very good to us here… which makes it a pleasure to do my best to be good to them in return!
• Exciting Times. I think we can all agree that we live in very interesting times when it comes to working in an information industry. While it can sometimes cause headaches, I’m so thankful that the way we handle information and provide services are in a constant state of flux. Change means never being bored, never getting into a rut. So bring on new ways of handling information, new technologies, new users with new demands!
• As A Patron… I’m so glad that I have access to the kinds of library services available in my area. Sure, I complain a lot (A LOT!) about what we’re not doing for our patrons. But I’d like to think of that as constructive criticism that can (hopefully - unless I’m just on a rant!) be used to make the already excellent services we provide even better for more people in our communities. Underneath it all, I love my library, and I’m so thankful for the benefits I can get from it, especially since I did not grow up with access to this level of library service.

Now, back to complaining.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 21st, 2007 at 10:43 am and is filed under Etc.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.