People live in all kinds of places- mansions, hovels, forests, deserts….but a library? Andrew Carnegie was responsible for creating libraries that included apartments for its custodians. Jon Kalish talks about how Sarah Washington staged a play about her life growing up in a library and she’s not the only one- another library dweller John Berry even rode his bicycle and skateboarded through the stacks. That would be a nice way to grow up, wouldn’t it? Read or listen to Life Above A Library Was Like Living In Neverland.
Speaking of librarians, I came across another essay but this time it takes away some of the sheen from what a librarian really does. A librarian does not get to have peace and quiet a librarian does not have the time to read books.
“The reality of being a librarian is that it’s hardly ever about sitting down and it has absolutely nothing to do with peace and quiet. It’s about assisting others.”
Being a librarian involves providing technical assistance and social back up. It is anything but reading in a quiet corner, though Kristen Arnett does not mind. Read about her experience as a librarian here: What exactly does a librarian do? Everything.