Letter to a Young Librarian

It's been wonderful having you as an intern. You took to your duties with gusto and openness. You showed a willingness to be taught, and to know that you didn't know everything, Millennial though you are. Humility is the first tool in any librarian's kit. So, as you go on in your studies, and hopefully come back to work for us, a few words to keep you on the right path.

First: Know everything. Okay, I don't literally mean "know everything". Even Albert Einstein didn't know everything. But what I do mean by this is: be ever curious. Do not shut yourself off to new experiences. As I kept telling you during your time with us: Everything you do, everything you read, watch, and listen to, every waking moment of your life contributes to this vocation you've chosen. No, librarians don't have to know everything; but we can't just know where to find things. We have to know a little bit about a lot so that we know where to look.

Second: The true corollary to the first rule, reinforcing it, is: be curious. Ever be curious. If something grabs your fancy, follow it down the rabbit hole. Do the research. Read a few sources. You never know what sudden interest will do for you, both in your professional and personal lives. Our role as librarians isn't just to give people "just the facts". It's to listen to them, and suss out what they really need; and to do that, we have to have a breadth of knowledge which other professions just don't require. It's not "Jack of all trades, master of none". We don't even pretend to the be Jack. But what we need is a broad familiarity about the cultures in which we live. So that when that guy calls from prison again, asking about the NFL draft, you know what he's talking about, and can do a search with that information in your memory banks. A librarian who isn't curious about the world in which he or she lives will not be able to give good service. He or she will be doing the job with one hand tied. Don't be that librarian.

Third: Be curious about things which make you uncomfortable. I hate all the books put out by the right wing welfare circuit. They do nothing but divide and make things not whole. But we're librarians. And people who inveigh against "evil government" have no reservations about calling up a public library to inquire about the latest Reich wing tome. And our job is not to judge. We give them the information, and send them on their way. But knowing what they think, knowing where they are, fortifies us, and allows us to take ourselves out of the personal area and perform a professional task. We're librarians, and the free flow of information is the bread and butter of our lives. And if we know what these patrons are thinking, we can, if given the opportunity, give them a little bit of real information, like with the lady who knew that African Americans couldn't get the coronavirus. I had to tell her: No, ma'am, COVID-19 is moving into sub-Saharan Africa. You know, where all the black people live. Now, this particular patron is notorious in County, and I answered her curtly. But hopefully my strong answer got her to take that silliness out of her mind, especially since in the US, communities of color are suffering the effects of COVID-19 far greater than white communities. But I wouldn't have been able to respond to her forcefully if I didn't have that knowledge.

Fourth: Do what you can do. You're not Superman. You're not Wonder Woman. You're a human being who knows stuff. But you can't make a horse drink. You'll lose some fights. Walk away. Don't take it personally. Some people want to know why the government is hiding evidence of alien visitations, and you can't help the person. You can't pull hens' teeth. All you can do is be polite and say "I can't help you with that question." Because directing them to conspiracy sites would betray everything we are as librarians. We can't direct people to lies. We're neutral, but we're not neutral. Our duty is to the truth. And there is a truth which is objective and verifiable, and we can't betray it. You'll have to figure out how to thread that needle. We have all had to do that. Rely on your mentors for how to do that.

Fifth, and finally (in this five act play): have fun. My God, have fun. We have one of the best jobs ever. We get to read. We get to listen to music. We get to watch films. We tell stories to children. We bring knowledge to people. We help people when no one else will. As President Obama said, we are the ones we've been waiting for. We are warriors in the Information Jihad, wearing cardigans. People respect us, because we respect them. Never forget that we are here to serve. Service doesn't mean giving people what they want, but what they need. And that, my dear intern, is a vocation worthy of having.

Be who you are, and be more. The two are not mutually exclusive. We have a sacred duty in our profession. I know you'll honor it.