How a golden retriever is like a fluffy librarian

Dear Libraries,
You know you're my number one, but I figured it was time to tell you about the one girl who will always be queen of my heart: Shelby.

She's just so fragile and delicate

 I've been missing home a lot lately, probably all the more since my current job situation has me unsure when I'll actually be able to go back for a visit. Nothing makes me more weepy though than when I think about how much I miss my baby girl, AKA The Princess, Dumb Blonde, or Sweet Shelbs. This dog is perfect in the way that only the rose-colored glasses of absolute devotion can make a dog seem. My family got her when I was a senior in high school in an attempt to heal our broken hearts after we lost our previous dog, Missy (who, by the way, was also the perfect dog in a completely different way). Needless to say, being a senior in high school, I didn't have much to do other than spend as much time as possible with the adorable new puppy. I helped train her (and have continued to), took her for hikes and out to the dog park as often as possible, and snuggled her to sleep at night. She lives with my parents and always will, but I don't think anyone in my family would deny that she's still my dog. She has the most expressive face, and I swear to god when we have conversations I can hear what she's saying back to me.

Who could resist a face like this?!

Here's where it gets relevant: To me, Shelby represents everything I want to be in my professional life. And in my life in general. She's bright, energetic, and, more than making people feel welcome, she makes people feel like they are the only human in the whole wide world who matters. Particularly if you already identify as a dog person, Shelby will win you over with a few overenergetic wags of her tail as she slaps her butt into your legs and when she collapses to give you instant access to her belly. She approaches every day with a fresh supply of enthusiasm and joy, and nothing can ever keep her down for long. It's this unsinkable attitude that never ceases to amaze and inspire me. It's my goal to bring even have as much passion to my work as Shelby brings to every day and every new encounter. In many ways, she's exactly what a modern librarian should be; it's certainly true that the profession faces many difficulties, but the best librarians I've encountered choose to focus on the positive aspects of the field, and they bring fresh buckets of enthusiasm to their daily work.

So this is my tribute to the dog who has shown me exactly who I want to be and how I want to approach every day: joyfully, with a heart full of love and an ability to give some to everyone I meet. Compassion and understanding are two of the most important skills a librarian can have. Everyone is welcome in a library, just as everyone is welcome in Shelby's heart. Particularly if you rub her belly.

The world could use more fluffy librarians

Now to convince the world that dogs should be in libraries every day.

Love,
Maggie

Of Hurricanes and Creating Change

Dear Libraries,
Well, the past week has certainly been one of the more eventful weeks of my life up til this point. I apologize for taking so long since I last wrote, but the Real World has been up in my face like a nearsighted optometrist lately. Between job and grad school apps, trying to keep up with reading, traveling for work and Hurricane Sandy followed by Hurricane Kathy (undoubtedly the latter, a mom-driven craft storm, was much more enjoyable)..there hasn't been much left over. The good news is that a large portion of the time I haven't been writing has still been devoted to bettering myself in your name.

My hero.

I have to say, my favorite part about my current job (read: indefinite internship a la April Ludgate) is when the opportunity arises to go on a library visit or five. Northern Ohio is positively teeming with libraries. Seriously, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a library or librarian up here. And with great numbers comes great potential-and great cost, as I discussed in my previous letter on the Techlift. Still in all, librarians are exceptionally adept at making the most of a miniscule budget, and getting to see firsthand some of the astoundingly creative solutions to budgetary issues has been inspiring. One of my favorites: in response to the exorbitant cost of the much-coveted AWE systems, one Ohio tech services librarian crafted a kid-friendly webpage that aggregates free educational web games for kids to access. Other libraries have stepped up their outreach programs, especially in areas where school libraries had to be eliminated due to funding; librarians fortify travel to their local schools to share a storytime with the kids or teach them valuable research skills. Getting to witness such innovation firsthand and to discuss it with the librarians working to make things happen has been amazing, and this internship has certainly enabled me to do things and forge a certain relationship with libraries I would not have been able to otherwise.

Being on the other side of the grant process has also been more difficult than I ever could have imagined. Since my last post, I have had to comb carefully through over a dozen entries and figure out how to recommend any library over the others when I could see a dire need present everywhere. I wanted every library to win, and every one had such a unique vision and drive to serve its patrons that it's hard not to feel like the bad guy for having to choose just one. I got to make the call to the winning library once a decision had been made, which was wonderful and gratifying...for five whole minutes, until I had to call and email the other libraries and deliver the bad news.

On the bright side, the fun part has just begun. Now we get to actually work with one very deserving library, and I could not be more thrilled or committed to the process. I am so honored and exited for the opportunity to help a library realize a vision to improve its services to the young.

The more I encounter and learn about modern libraries and their efforts today, the more excited I become about the possibilities. I've made the decision to apply for grad schools next fall because I honestly cannot wait to get going in my career and I am so stoked to learn as much as I can to prepare myself for the world of real librarianship. I do struggle when I try to pin down exactly what it is I want to do because I want to do everything--I want to inspire children, I want to enable the public as lifelong learners, I want to go out and spread the word of all that a library can offer, I want to facilitate access to information and I want to bring cool gadgets to those who might not be able to afford them. There are so many things I want to do and so little time...I'll just have to have faith that I'll end up doing what I need to do. At least I know where I stand now, doing whatever I can to get my foot in the door. I love you so much, Libraries, that I will do whatever it takes to get some experience and I will love it and ask for more. I will shelve all the books or eat all the ramen, and I will happily work 2-3 jobs to survive if at least one of them is doing something that feels to me like I'm making a real difference. You may be struggling to get by, but we'll be in it together. As long as you keep coming up with creative ways to make ends meet, I will too. I promise.

The fun has only just begun.

Always,
Maggie