Blog Entry No. 1
I just read a blog
entry named “Do You Bend Rules in Your
Library?” which caught my eye as I have always regarded the library as a
place that adheres strictly to rules, and without them, would surely cease to
function. Though school librarian Jacquie writes about how she received an
email from an old student whom she ‘bended the rules’ for by allowing her to
come into the library at lunchtime, borrow more books than she should have, and
generally indulged in her desire to discover all there was to learn in the
school library. In the email, the past student thanked her for allowing her the
freedom to do what she wanted in the library, as she was uncomfortable
socialising with other students at lunch times, and so sought out the library
instead. After reading this I reviewed what I thought the job of a librarian to
be, which until now, I thought of as a person who has the duty of helping people
find the information they need. I now realise that it is so much more than that.
To be a good librarian is to think on your feet, as all library patrons are
different and like the student in the email, require varying amounts of
attention and help. It is true that librarians help people find information,
though I think that librarians must remember that it is this aiding in the
finding of information that is the real requirement and even perk of being a
librarian, as this will help, enlighten and even inspire a patron. In a way,
librarians hold the keys to unlock people’s imaginations through the resources
they have. (And it doesn’t hurt to bend a few rules here and there to really
help a patron).
Author: Jacquie Henry
Page viewed on 9/8/2012
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