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Read On! Career Affirmation

March 27, 2020

Working in libraries for almost 15 years, I’ve had my fair share of career-affirming experiences on the job. Libraries touch people’s lives in ways many other service industries don’t or can’t. Reading choices and information needs are inherently personal, so it’s easy to build bonds with the people who come through our doors. 

My most recent affirming moment was at our March Books & Brews Club meeting. I sat at the table with 15 other people, men and women, ranging in age from mid-thirties to mid-seventies with a homemade casserole, cookies, and other snacks inspired by the book we read (“Red White and Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston) and realized that somehow our informal book club has become a community. 

We function almost like an extended family as we gather around food and beverages (both adult and not) to discuss books and movies and Life. The discussion of March’s book (a fun novel about a romance between the president’s son, Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry of Wales) was open and honest, but mostly filled with fun “Would You Rather” styled questions. We challenged each other, we teased, and we laughed. Boy, did we laugh!

It’s moments like that when I realize how powerful libraries are and how important building community is that I can breathe easy knowing I’m in the right profession. Getting to be part of a community like ours makes the rough parts of librarianship – navigating the excitement and uncertainty of staffing changes, arming people against fake news, grappling with building projects that far exceed the budget, etc. – worth the stress and exhaustion. 

If you want to check out our Books & Brews Club, we meet the first Saturday of the month from 1 – 3 pm at the Fat Toad Brewing Company. We’ll discuss “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann in April.