I've always worked in public libraries, but I rarely used them as a child or young adult. My childhood library was more than a mile away, not on a bus line, & I rarely had transportation (I didn't even have a bicycle of my own until I was 15). My university was an alternative university specifically designed for adults returning to school and it didn't have a physical library. We were eligible to use the libraries at the University of Minnesota, and we were encouraged to explore and use the public libraries. [Minnesota has a somewhat unique arrangement for public library access that allows people to use one library card across the entire state at no charge.] That's when I began using public libraries more often. When my kids were young I took them to the library occasionally, but not regularly. Our local branch had storytimes that we could have attended, but they were so crowded and noisy that the kids didn't enjoy them. They preferred hanging out in the children's area, choosing books to take home & read.
When I decided on a career in public libraries I had no idea of the strange schedules I would be asked to work -- nor the interesting characters with whom I would be in daily contact. But since no one would believe both issues are what they are, we continue to get people interested in working in public libraries (luckily for the public!).
Almost all of the branches in Dakota County Library are open on Sunday afternoons during the school year. [The Library Board and administration would like us to be open Sundays all year round, but haven't yet been able to come up the the money to staff those additional hours.] So between Labor Day and Memorial Day, my branch is open 7 days & 61 hours each week (check your local library hours & you'll see that 61 hours is a lot for a branch library). And we have professional librarians on duty during all open hours. [No, libraries can't be staffed with volunteers, and the average person can't walk in off the street and do what we do -- on the librarian side or the clerical side!] Our branch lends 1800-2000 items every day, and takes that many returns as well. A human being has to touch every returned item to make sure it gets back to its proper spot, in a timely manner, so we can find it again. Five years ago a human had to touch every borrowed item, too. Now most of the checkout is done by patrons at self-service machines. Add on free Internet access for the public, several dozen subscription research databases, children's storytimes, author visits, book groups, constantly changing technology (ereaders, tablets, and more), and you have yourself some very busy librarians and library staff.
The public gets great bang for the buck from public libraries. In Minnesota the per capita tax expenditure for public libraries is about $35. Public libraries are paid for through property taxes; every member of the public is eligible to walk through our doors and use our resources. And a wide variety of them do! The variety makes the job both interesting and exhausting. No public library can possibly offer all of the services that people ask for on a regular basis: passports, birth & death certificates, notary services, legal aid, tax advice and preparation, small business services from copying to faxing to payroll, immigration services, resume & cover letter writing, tutoring (in every subject at every level from grade school through college), one-on-one computer training, in-depth research for personal topics and term papers, and more.
And, of course, the public still wants free access to physical books -- 1800-2000 of them every day, as I mentioned above. In addition to the books, we offer the loan of music CDs, movie DVDs, and audiobooks, free (as long as you return them on time & undamaged). We have free Internet access, free introductory computer classes, free research databases (mostly also available, using your free library card, from one's home computer) with material that can't be accessed free on the Internet, free troubleshooting help for the Nook you got for Christmas, free wireless access, free children's programming, free teen and adult programs, and more. It's a great resource at a great price. Please be supportive of your public libraries, and considerate to the staff, who are not paid more than their private-sector counterparts, and don't really have super marvelous benefit packages, and who work evenings and weekends all year-round.
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