Librarian Love Letter

Image via Paul Thurlby

I need to say a big, heartfelt thank you to some of the hardest working & most patient people I know: Librarians.

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"Google can bring back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring back the right one."

-- Neil Gaiman

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I'm sure the things I'm about to say can apply to all of these amazing men and women across the country; I happen to witness my local librarians at work on a remarkably frequent basis. I basically live at our library. Between the internet, books, magazines and movies it's pretty much like heaven on earth to me. Maybe that's why the librarians have become equated with angels in my mind. My local library branch happens to be the largest and busiest in our county, too; extra work for these saints in disguise. Before I start listing all of their wonderful merits let me just say that I work in customer service and I fancy that I'm rather adept at my job; however, I would never ever have the patience or the good grace necessary to work at the library!

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Dear Librarians (specifically you wonderful specimens of the Tuckahoe Branch Library!),

Thank you for always sounding so upbeat. I have only ever needed to ask for personal assistance once, but I overhear so many conversations that would have reduced my tone of voice to pure exasperation, asperity, and rudeness and never once do you all falter in that polite and kind tone of voice.

Thank you for not only being librarians, wonderful people who are excellent resources of my favorite thing on earth, books, but for also being educators and technical help to the multitudes that utilize the public library system. I wish I heard more people using the library to find book recommendations or research material; I'm certain you all do too. Instead, I often hear you dispensing advice on how to upload a photo, scan a document, open an email account, or print pages. You do this with a patience I could never possess. I would say it is my generation that causes me to scoff at the technological ignorance you all are forced to remedy on a daily basis, but I know for every Boomer requiring your aid their is a twenty-something or a high school student just as needy of guidance.

Thank you for providing such great customer service. You all continue to smile even when faced with an irate public who is whining over ten cents lost to the printer because they didn't read their screen closely enough. You give directions to other buildings when people are lost. You patiently explain (again and again) how the book queue works and why someone can't jump the line. And on top of everything else, you still help people with what you intended from your career: finding books! (You also do all the re-shelving, which I know helps keep things organized better, but is still very time consuming.)

Thank you for functioning as a pseudo-babysitter to packs of un/under-supervised children. I know having to shush a gaggle of six-year-olds repeatedly has got to wear on your nerves!

So thank you for all that you do. I have so much respect for your profession and you as people. I hope that more people realize what wonderful assets you truly are to the community and the world and start radiating a bit more appreciation in your direction!

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“Librarians, Dusty, possess a vast store of politeness. These are people who get asked regularly the dumbest questions on God's green earth. These people tolerate every kind of crank and eccentric and mouth breather there is.” 

--Garrison Keillor

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Image via Fred Flare

So stop by your local library. Check out some books or movies. While you're there say "thank you" to the librarians. And while you're at it, if you've been looking for a worthy cause to donate to, consider donating to your public libraries!