So What Do Librarians Actually Do?
A while ago my favorite band was crowdfunding one of their albums. I pledged a certain amount and became eligible to video chat with them for a half hour. Excited, I prepped my computer, got a drink of water, and happily clicked to connect.
In the first few moments the band asked get-to-know me questions. When I told them what I did for a living the lead singer in slightly confused tone asked “so what do librarians actually do?”
It’s a good question. What do librarians do? Read books all day?
Because of technology, the answer is different today than 20-30 years ago. However, there is one answer that is true throughout history:
Librarians provide opportunities for discovery.
Discovery usually means learning in some form though it can be just coming across a good book. Academic librarians tend to help with structured learning and public librarians with more general areas of interest. Learning can be as diverse as meeting a community member with common interests or helping a child improve his or her crafting skills. You might be able to go to a museum for free or get tickets to a local ball game. A lot of what librarians do are behind the scenes in making opportunities available for you.
What would you like to explore? Go to your local library’s Web site and see if they can help.
