Big, horn-rimmed glasses. Middle-aged females: conservative, square. And, most of all, always telling people to be quiet.
This is the stereotype of librarians that has persisted for many decades. The stereotype is about as false as the one that determines all doctors are male, and all nurses are female.
Well, I am a librarian. I have glasses. I am twenty years old. Liberal. Square -- hey, at least I admit it. And, most of all, I am talkative and loud. I am certainly one who breaks the librarian stereotype.
In today's information-oriented society, with Google and other search engines all over the Internet, librarians are no longer the "middlemen" between the public and the information everyone should have access to. However, these holders of information are one of the most important tools anyone can utilize.
Construction workers, lawyers, doctors, politicians, writers, homemakers, auto workers, teachers, students and everyone in between use librarians on a daily basis to learn more about the world they live in and, ultimately, about themselves.
Public libraries connect people from different backgrounds and different futures. It's hard to tell how many people are only connected to the Internet when they're at their local public libraries. Free Internet, free book and magazine checkouts, free music checkouts and free movie checkouts are all things available at most local public libraries.
It is easy to say that without public libraries, the world would be worse. Public libraries keep running with help from everyday people and from the staff and volunteers who dedicate several hours a week to help people learn more about their world.
Libraries hold the keys to the past, and information is the path to the future. Within the millions of volumes in the nations' libraries, one can find anything.
However, some people do not appreciate the librarians who are keys to a wealth of knowledge that Google cannot access. As the young adult librarian at the Yorktown Community Library, I see thousands of people every year walk through the entrance of this cathedral that holds the answers of life itself.
In the many years I have worked in a library, I never get more enjoyment out of my job than when somebody says thank you and gives me a smile. I have helped hundreds of patrons find books that will keep them interested in reading. I have helped with hundreds of homework assignments, r�sum�s, science projects and searches for loved ones who have long been gone.
However, I don't get as many smiles as I would like. The lack of smiles and appreciation sometimes makes my job harder and harder each day. Just to see one happy kid who got the "Series of Unfortunate Events" book he wanted or the joyous adult who was able to check out "Hitch" on DVD makes my day all the more worthwhile. Just to see people reading and enjoying themselves in the library is all that I need to make my day complete.
The job of a librarian is mentally exhausting. Many of us have had several years of schooling to become a librarian. Many of us work odd shifts at odd hours of the day, and unlike teachers, we get less respect and sometimes even less pay -- hard to visualize, isn't it?
So, next time you go into a library -- hopefully, the one I work at -- say "thank you" to a staff member, and give the librarian a smile. Librarians deserve it more than you can possibly imagine.
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