Our guest blogger today is Renee Bush Wallace, Head of Youth Services at the Clark Co. Public Library in Winchester KY. A chance comment gave her the opportunity to tell the real story of what happens in libraries in a positive, powerful way. She shares the encounter with us!
Last night, I was at physical therapy (for weird knees!)
when my therapist proudly told me she had just "joined" the library.
(She had gotten a library card that very afternoon!) She had even
tried to see me, but alas, it was a half-day for me, so I missed her.
The other patient nearby said what a great job I had, since
all I do is "sit and read for 40 hours a week." I never get
angry at this comment, because it always reminds me of how little our patrons
know about what goes on in the library.
Instead, I pleasantly explained that I actually do very
little reading at work, and what I do read while there is always for work
purposes, though I do enjoy it anyway!
So, I had to answer the question: if you are not READING at
work, what ARE you doing?This was great fun, because I love what I do,
and love for people to catch the desire to improve literacy among the children
of our community.
Soon I had an audience of three, all of whom peppered me
with questions about how the library is funded, how do I get the money for book
prizes, SRP prizes, etc. One person even asked me if librarians make so
much money, (!), why do we need to ask for donations?
I stayed past my appointment time in order to answer all the
questions, and it got deeper and deeper into things that really make for great
PR: how to get a library card, who can sign up a child for one, what SRP is
about, why we do it, and so on.
When I could finally get away, one of the audience said,
"Wow. I never knew the library did so much, nor that it was so much
fun."
I tell my staff frequently: we tend to forget that most
people do not "get" what goes on in the public library. We need
to always be ready with a patient, pleasant, informative "chat" about
just what the goals of the public library are, and why we are so excited about
our jobs! We even have one of our civic groups that has me back regularly
to speak at their monthly luncheons, all because way back in 2004, I said while
there that I get up every morning SO THANKFUL that I am going to a job I LOVE.
PEOPLE WANT TO BE WITH EXCITED PEOPLE. Word-of-mouth
is invaluable to us in our work! Also, a wise counselor once told me that
if people do not have the facts, they make up their own, so I like to provide
them with the FACTS about what we do, and about how much we want THEM to be a
part of it!
Sorry about the religious fervor there, but... no, I am not,
really! ;-)
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