My library life

Today, I intended the inaugural Vancouver Island Library Staff Conference — the first time staff at all levels from libraries of all types (academic, public, specialty) in the region came together to talk about and share what we do and how we can do it better. It was pretty solidly a success. The last session was a panel of library leaders — the heads of Camosun, UVic, and GVPL — and one of the questions was what led them to become librarians. It made me think about how I ended up working where I am, because I never imagined it was where I would end up, or stay for as long as I have.

I grew up using, and loving the libraries. I made library loan cards for my own books. My Mom worked in the library and my first job was as a page at the public library, shelving books. However, I’d always wanted to be a teacher. There was never a Plan B — I was going to get an undergrad degree, followed by the Post-Degree-Professional Program for my teaching certificate, and I was going to teach high school math, or maybe English (but math was what I loved teaching). A series of circumstances changed my plans:

1. I encountered calculus. My brain did not enjoy the encounter. The result was that I could not go further in my studies of either mathematics or computer science so I shifted to a BA with a major in History.
2. I got hired on as a student assistant in the McPherson Library
3. Late in 3rd year, discussions with my classmates revealed that 2/3 of them were planning the same path as me — get a BA, follow with the PDPP, and teach. At the same time, friends who were ahead of me in their studies were not finding jobs (even getting on sub lists was challenging) and the Province was laying off teachers.
4. After a frustrating summer of retail work following graduation, I got a part time, then almost immediately thereafter a full-time continuing job in the McPherson Library.

When I interviewed for that full time job, one of the questions was the dreaded “where do you see yourself in five years?” and my reply was “Pfft, not here,” complete with a dismissive wave of the hand (and yet, they still hired me!) Instead, I thought I might be a published author! Delusions of grandeur or just getting ahead of myself?

Aside from a six month detour to take plumbing training and a year of maternity leave, I’ve been there ever since. I held different positions within the Libraries but basically, I just stayed. In part, it’s just really hard to walk away from an employer where I have invested so much of my life — over 25 years — and gives me a reasonable amount of flexibility, requires no uniform, and comes with benefits and a decent pension. In part, it’s because I really do believe in the radical institution that is the library: free  information, for everyone.

I’m going to ALA in June of this year and one of my goals is to get to the Internet Archive — everything the IA does makes me happy in the depths of my soul, no exaggeration. I have supported the IA financially, I have uploaded my own podcasts; and I will upload more content in the future. I use it regularly. I have advocated for its use at work. If someone offered me a job there, I would move heaven and earth to make it happen. To me, the IA is the embodiment of the radical nature of libraries — collecting, storing, preserving, and sharing information without judgement. Now, the thing the IA doesn’t do particularly well is curate — because there is no judgement, nothing is turned away, and that means the collection is more than a little unwieldy, but I am still OK with that!

Meanwhile, I was reminded today of the Five Laws of Library Science and thought about how appropriate they still are, nearly 85 years later:

1. Books are for use.
2. Every reader his [or her] book.
3. Every book its reader.
4. Save the time of the reader.
5. The library is a growing organism.

That fifth point, in particular, amazes me. People stress out about how libraries have been in a constant state of flux for the last x years — really put in ANY number for x and it will be accurate! — and yet, there it is, in plain text from 1931: the library is not static. Never has been, never will be.

I felt pretty happy to be surrounded by “my clan” today. Library people, whether they hold MLS/MLIS degrees or not, are some of the most amazing people I know. That, combined with the change in the organization, and the changes in my personal life add up to a whole lot of “not going anywhere anytime soon.”

….unless the Internet Archive wants me….