Librarians: Secrets Revealed!

October 27, 2012

What do you think of when you hear the word librarian? The old stereotype is a grouchy old woman behind a desk, "shhhing" everyone!  However, I can assure you that most of us aren’t grouchy, and we hardly ever "shhh."  There are a lot of other things about librarians that you may think are true, too. But I’m here to set the record straight. Here are a few facts about the librarians I work with…

• We don’t get our holds any faster than you do—you might think that because we work at the library that we are first in line for all the new books and movies.  However, the truth is that we have to wait just as long as any customer to check out an item. We just happen to be more familiar with the Forthcoming section on our website (this allows you to put holds on items several months before their release). Otherwise, if we see a book come across the desk, we put it on hold and wait until our name pops up for an available copy. Most of the time, I don’t even know I want a book until I see someone else checking it out!
• We don’t get to spend our whole shift reading—lots of people have asked me if I get a lot of reading done when I work at the Library. The answer is always no. I read on my breaks and at home, but it’s rare to see a librarian reading a book while on the clock. If so, it’s probably for a program or book club. As much as we all love to read, we don’t have the time to spend throughout the day reading for leisure. The most I can usually get in is reading a book jacket, blog, or literary article online.
• We love Google (and Amazon, and Pinterest, and Facebook...)—where do we get the great ideas for the bulletin boards, crafts, and programs we have at the library? Online, of course. We aren’t above checking out other people’s projects and borrowing them if possible. Also, if you have a question about a book title, author, or series, a simple Google search usually helps find the answer. Also, one of my favorite websites to refer to is the KDL What’s Next™ Database. By typing in an author’s name, book title, or series title, it will bring up all books in a series, with author in order. What a great reference tool! I use it constantly to help customers find information.

So remember, don’t judge a book by its cover (no pun intended, hahaha!). Librarians have a lot more going on than most people realize. We’re more than just the person behind the counter. We’re researchers, project programmers, crafters, designers, and much more! If you ever want to know more about the Library and about what we do, just ask!

Jamie C.
Platte City Branch