On dreaming of being a librarian

Being a librarian has always seemed glamorous to me, but it’s a job I’ve never held. I’ve done plenty of things and had some fascinating jobs, but so far, I haven’t had a book related job. And maybe it’s about time I did.

My first librarian dreams started when I was in first or second grade. With a friend, I started a home library and made library cards for some of our friends (and all my siblings) to check out books from my bookshelf of children’s books. Within a couple days, I lost interest (since my siblings kept taking books instead of officially checking them out) and moved on.

Later, in high school, I realized too late that working at the library was an option. I already had a solid job running errands for a law firm, but every time I went to the library, I’d see a girl from my high school pushing carts around and shelving books. I was insanely jealous whenever she’d wave and continue working and I cursed myself for having a steady (and probably better paying) job.

It’s been years and I’m now a college graduate with a real grown-up job, so I’d mostly forgotten about my librarian dreams. Until my sister changed jobs, that is. In need of more cash, she took on the library as a second after-school job. After an initial bout of insane jealousy, I talked with her more about her job and learned that there’s a lot more to being a librarian than reading all day and suggesting books to people (she’s just a library page, so her view is somewhat tainted, but I trust her that it’s not all fun and words). A lot of her job involves pushing heavy carts of books up the steep ramps and reshelving books until her eyes hurt from looking at covers and organizing books that had just been returned. It’s a lot more heavy lifting and a lot less fun reading.

Still, in spite of this, I entertain hopes of one day working in a library, no matter how menial the tasks. If a real paying job at a library doesn’t work out, perhaps I can start my own Little Free Library and be the head librarian for that. Either way, I’ll finally achieve my dream of being a real librarian.