Today is National Library worker’s day! Please, thank them for their service.
Today is National Library worker’s day. These are the under-appreciated heroes and heroins of the literary world. They aren’t all Conan the Librarian. But, they serve a vital role to the community. In the modern day of internet searches, libraries have become overlooked and under-appreciated. Most, now have online resources for those who can’t make it to the physical library, so they are not obsolete. They also provide information, resources, and services that are invaluable to the education and edification of the citizens of most localities. And, they provide meeting places and community events in all libraries, big and small.
Large corporations have libraries dedicated to their proprietary information. There are law libraries, medical libraries, theological libraries, and dozens of other specialized collections across the globe. Think of the library of congress or the Vatican library. And, library stewardship extends far beyond just books. Archives are collections of manuscripts and other artifacts. We see a single librarian and think the whole job is walking around shushing people and collecting overdue fines. In most libraries, there are a lot more people behind the scenes who you don’t even think about.
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Who are the library workers?
According to Mr Bookman, “I remember when the librarian was a much older woman. Kindly, discreet, unattractive. We didn’t know anything about her private life. We didn’t want to know anything about her private life.” Times have changed. Librarians are people too. They run the library. They are, generally, very organized people who dedicate their lives to service (for culinary organization see our articles ). Zip Recruiter describes the job, “Librarians do everything from organizing community events and programs to helping professionals and students research scholarly and public information.” These are the front-line workers who are adept at research and utilizing the resources of the library. To you and me, they are the face of the library.
In smaller arenas, the librarian may be the only worker at the library. But, in most locations there are multiple people who go into making the library run. As mentioned above, there are archivists who curate the more precious artifacts in a library. If you have ever done a research project, you have archivists to thank for primary source materials. I once did a project on the Transcendentalists of Concord. I’ll never forget the magic of holding the handwritten documents of Thoreau and Emerson in my gloved hands. Thanks to the work of archivists, these documents are still available to provide the context of history.
Other workers
But, there are far more people to thank on National Library worker’s day than librarians and archivists. Think of the thousands of books and materials in the library. It would be physically impossible for one person to maintain that inventory. There are specialized librarians like medical librarians and technical experts in particular fields. But, there are lots of support positions. There are library directors who oversee networks of multiple libraries. Library technicians maintain inventory, shelving materials, and stocking periodicals among other tasks. There are also multiple levels of assistants, aides, and media specialists. These are the people who do the work that makes the librarian look good.
In schools, media specialists work with the teachers to provide the materials students need for projects. They are an important part of our education system who most people don’t think about. And, let’s not forget the sanitation staff. Someone has to clean up after all you slobs. Especially during a pandemic, we need to appreciate the work that is being done to keep our environment clean and safe, whether it is in a library or anywhere else.
How can we show our appreciation on National Library worker’s day?
If you can get to a library, and do so safely, thank them in person. Better yet, visit online and post testimonials. Let the powers that be know that these unsung heroes deserve better pay.
The library industry attracts more introverted people due to the nature of the work. As such, many library workers may be timid when it comes to asking for a raise. In addition, libraries are often under-funded, leading to lower pay.
The industry average for a librarian with a masters degree is around $58,000 per year. Library assistants and aides with a lesser degree tend to make around $30,000 (that’s around $15/hour, which is the projected minimum wage in many states). Those are pretty mediocre wages for someone with a master’s or bachelor’s degree. These salaries are in the bottom 10% of careers requiring higher education. These numbers are a national average that include jobs at mega libraries that skew the numbers upwards. Most libraries don’t have an adequate budget to pay a decent wage.
Another great thing to do is make some food for your friendly librarian workers. It takes a lot of energy to walk around going, “SSSHHHHHH!”
The stereotype of a librarian is a mousy petite woman brown-bagging her lunch. In honor of that lunch, here is a recipe for Peanut butter and jelly cookies. Bring some to your favorite library worker.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup Jam, pick your favorite flavor. Raspberry is preferred, but any will do. Just make sure it is thick enough to stand up to baking and not run.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.
- Beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars in a mixer with a paddle attachment until it is smooth and well blended. Scrape down the sides and paddle as needed.
- With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time and mix well. Then add the vanilla.
- Add the flour mix a little at a time on low speed to prevent it from flying all over. Mix in well until a smooth dough forms.
- Scoop dough onto a pan with a non stick pad or wax paper or parchment paper sprayed with pan spray. Press down the dough balls to form a thick disk. Push your thumb or finger into the middle of the cookie and put jam in the indentation.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookies have browned up and are crisp.
Notes
At a minimum, get out there and show your appreciation for a library worker, whether it is at your job, school, city, or town. Send a hearty thank you on National Library worker’s day!