As I got ready for my afternoon shift at another unfamiliar library, I contemplated my reasons for offering to work as an "emergency librarian". Is it to keep up my skills? For the money? To hang out with staff and patrons? Or am I really looking for the endorphin rush that comes when one is flying a wee bit blind and there is the possibility of a real emergency.
I admit that I am a bit of a thrill junkie; I love the hum of a busy public library where, quite honestly, anything can happen. But now that the shift is over, I can report that no-one was looking at internet pornography, there were no patron temper tantrums, and the Phantom Urinator (a.k.a.PU) did not strike, although I was duly warned.
But I had fun anyway. And there's always next time.
Most of the world would be shocked that you look to the library for your living-life-on-the-edge experiences. If the library is where you go to get your kicks, they think, then you must live most of the rest of your life in a soundproof box stuffed with cotton.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as a library employee, I can attest that yes, the library can be a terrifyingly exciting place to be.