For the longest time, when people asked me what I did for a living I would say that I worked in education. I was tired of the countless jokes and comments about how easy it must be to be a librarian, and how I must just sit and read books all day. It frustrated and angered me. But over the years I've started to own what I do. I wear it as a badge of honor, and take pride in telling people that I'm a librarian. I love what I do. I can't imagine being or doing anything else, and I will be a librarian until the day I die. It's who I am to my very core.
It's hard work. Physically, mentally and even emotionally.
You need to be in decent physical shape to work in a library. Lifting piles of heavy books, shifting furniture, kneeling and squatting on the floor for long periods.
Having to recall hundreds of children's and parent's names, who their brothers and sisters are and what class they are in. Juggling teaching topics for eight year groups (and 32 classes). In my current situation I also work with children in four main languages (English, Chinese, French and German) and a variety of other languages (Dutch, Korean, Spanish etc). Having to know everything about everything and be able to help guide kids to the answers they are looking for should not be underestimated. I like to think of librarians as being the gatekeepers to a whole world of knowledge. It's a great responsibility.
Helping a child to discover a love of reading is a powerful thing. We librarians are so blessed to be able to be involved in creating lifelong readers. But it's not just that. Being able to help a child who is struggling to fit in at a new school, or is having trouble adjusting to moving to a new country. These sorts of situations can be difficult and the library can be a great refuge for them. Being the one to help them through the day is an honor.
It's incredibly rewarding in so many ways.
It broadens your horizons. Whether you're working in a school, public library, university, museum, or corporate library (for a few examples!), you will meet so many new and different people who will open your mind up to new ideas and information that you never thought possible.
I've been reminded over the last few days that I'm part of a network of amazing people who are experiencing the same highs and lows that I go through. Sometimes when you're working it's hard to see the world outside and remember that you're not alone.
