Library Anniversary

This is a day that will not live in infamy for many people but it means something rather special to me. Twelve years ago this morning we held the groundbreaking for the soon-to-be addition, eleven years ago staff & volunteers braved the sweltering, non-air conditioned temps to move the collections (oh, the blood, sweat, & tears--and that was just me!), and ten years ago this afternoon was the long-awaited dedication. Ah, those were the days!

In honor of those memories, I make note of two recent publications that speak to the many librarians on the front lines of serving the public. Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, & Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert is part memoir, part expose on what really happens in a library. Although it's set in a suburban Los Angeles library system, his stories mirror many of the same things I've experienced in my 15+ years here. I have yet to decide if Borchert's title refers to Carnegie's ideal that libraries should be free to all people or if his library is a total free for all who walk through the doors. Probably a bit of both.

A similar book, Quiet, Please: Dispatches From a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas, came out soon after and reinforces Borchert's experiences. Douglas also works in a southern California library system but is newer to the profession. Yet, I found myself enjoying his book more. Perhaps it was his writing style or the fact that I agreed more with his tone & beliefs (I started to write ideals, but realised that was a bit high-handed for librarians; many of us have lost those) or that he reminded me so much of one of my co-workers (are you reading this, Wes?). I laughed, I shook my head in bemused understanding, and I enjoyed the book. A bit of a bus man's holiday perhaps, but a good read.

But I must ask--will the ordinary library user relate to it the way librarians do? But then most people who walk through our doors don't relate to this building the way I do. Guess it depends on which side of the desk you sit on. Or if you wore a hard hat or not.

Happy 10th, 11th, & 12th anniversaries.