Starting some time next week, I will be a bilibrarian. I'm quite happy about this turn of events.
The two libraries I'll be working at are very different. One tends to be more elitist in its philosophy, purchasing not what is popular but that which is determined to be of high quality and lasting value (however they determine that). The other tends to be more populist, purchasing items that the public wants and avoiding other items that, while considered high quality, might be offensive to the general public (however they determine that). I, personally, fall somewhere between these two philosophies. I believe a public library has a duty to provide the public with what they want, but at the same time I feel that catering to the majority's (in this case conservative Mormon) values can easily alienate the minority, who should also have a voice in what their public library should be. I think it will be interesting for me to work at both libraries and figure out the best way to balance these conflicting views of librarianship.
I'm also excited because my new library job, like my current library job, pays $6/hr more than any of the other options I was looking at. Life is good.
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13 comments:
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What'll you be doing in Provo?
Librarianing.
I bet I can guess which one is the Provo philosophy. Congratulations on the new job, and welcome to the Provo City bureaucracy!
CONGRATULATIONS! I've not been around to check out the blogs lately (or when I was, a couple of little munchkins were sleeping in my computer room), so I just read this. I'm happy for you, both financial-wise and interesting-wise.
Congratulations!
How appropriate for June.
Ooooh. Congrats master fob. More money is always good. Especially when you have a new little one in the Fobby home! Way to go!
I have seriously wondered in the last couple years whether I missed my calling by not becoming a librarian. I'm a big fan of literacy, education, and info tech. I'm going to try to wiggle those interests into my existing options.
I've been looking lately for some less popular books--regarded by the medical community at large to be heresy and to promote irresponsible therapy that could have disastrous consequences. I know my library had at least one of the titles I'm looking for a couple years ago, but now it's been weeded out. There are hundreds of books supporting a single point of view, and not a single one describing the alternative I seek.
Anyway, I'm familiar with the type of idealistic collections policy they teach about in our local library and info science grad program, and I find it unfortunate that our city library--one of the best in the state--seems to believe that diversity means only having a wide variety of liberal views on hand.
Hey, congrats!
I will do my darndest not to be jealous.
*does his darndest
If you work evenings, however, I can always come along and heckle you.
Congratulations. : )
My mom works at Provo.
"for me to ... figure out the best way to balance these conflicting views ..."
For some reason I was thinking about this today. Considering both possible extremes, it seems the key would be discerning that fine line between 'protecting', and 'controlling', the public. I wouldn't know exactly where that line would be, but it will be an interesting challenge for you.
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