National Library Week: A Librarian’s Day Dream

Dear reader:

I want to ask you something that you may give a short or long answer to. What do you think the public libraries are for? What do you consider are perfect public library services?  Do library services in general stimulate in you something bigger or just meet your expectations? STOP here. Get the answers to these three questions. Then, proceed to read this day-dream of a librarian.

Long before I pursued the library profession I was amazed by the cultures past and present preserved in various formats including oral transmissions. Whether it is academic, public, government, or private, libraries are the resources of continuity for human development. I see it clear that culture, societal development, and individual potentials are dependent on what libraries can offer.

After more than a decade working in libraries there are some things that impressed me so much, some other moments that provided me with concrete realities, interacted with millions of people of various backgrounds who come and go, and browsed through thousands of resources. All of these events which partially form my personal life history are based in libraries. Whether as a customer or as an employee, when I walk into a library I am getting into a universe that only a library can contain. Printed items are shelved in meaningful ways, fiction is alphabetically arranged, computers are available to bring the whole world to your finger tips and get connected to/with it ubiquitously. 

I have always fantasized that one day customers would consider their local libraries as an extension of their own living room. Living rooms have a lot of things that connect with whoever owns them or stays for short a time in them. And of course, are made a welcoming place. Owners/residents want to keep their living-rooms decently clean. Most accessible items are made readily available because they enjoy their living-room. Imagine if every library patron would consider the library as an extension of his/her living room. Could you consider the library partially an extension of your living room? I say “partially” because they will be considered the same way by other people too. Think about the environment how the libraries would look where each customer will feel at home and wanting to take responsibility to keep it a great place to stay! Everybody would use the library resources properly and you would find the resources still in great shape when you come back the next time. This aspect is my day-dream when I think locally.

Libraries inspire me to global day-dream thinking too. In my imagination I keep looking at the many resources available in the libraries. What if all the resources we have would realistically be animated, I mean have human life and start talking to each other and would behave as they are in their physical shape? No fighting for space, no argument for who is better, no competition on anything, no looking down because of race, and no weapons to destroy others. Danielle Steel is happy to stay on the same shelf as any other fiction writer would stay from the universe. Einstein is comfortable to be shelved with any scientist from the globe.  If all resources in the library represent their authors and peacefully stay shelved, could the world learn from the library world to live in peace? Could all countries stop fighting and wanting colonize others or oppressing others just because of resources?

Dear Reader, what I want to share with you is that library could inspire locally and globally for a peaceful world. To have a peaceful world, people need to learn from the library resources which are put side by side. I am not saying that we should be inanimate; I am just day-dreaming to have a great humanity that cares for each other or at least respect each other as the inanimate resources do. Love your libraries, use the available resources, and don’t forget others too want to use the resources. Take good care of what you use because you may come back again to use them.

I look forward to reading your opinion.

AT (Ande Tensae), Day-dreamer Librarian and Library Community Services Manager at North Avenue