When I first joined the library nearly ten years ago, I was immediately struck by my colleagues’ desks and how they seemed to present a story about each person who worked at them. While the public-facing Information and Checkout Desks were uncluttered and aesthetically pleasing, what I saw behind the scenes, in the office spaces, was beautiful chaos: desks filled with pictures and papers, coffee mugs and tote bags; red, white and blue decorations from a recent Fourth of July outreach event; a cart full of glue, beads and other materials for an upcoming project; and shelves bursting with stuffed animals and puppets for upcoming story times. And then there were the books.
To this day, at nearly every desk exists a stack of books – occasionally just one, but usually three or more, or even an entire cart full. Some are for research, and some are sent by publishers for review, but all are typically meaningful stories that hold a memory or emotion through which we draw inspiration. Titles include an old copy of “Travels with Charley,” “Noisy Nora” by Rosemary Wells (which is aptly, and ironically, owned by a librarian named Nora), “Ancient Greek Myths in Rhyme” and a copy of “Two Years Before The Mast” by Richard Henry Dana that was given to me by my grandfather when I was a girl, simply because the plain spine reads “Dana.”
If one were to take a tour of the staff workspaces, they’d find more than a few groovy lava lamps nestled among the desk lights, a collection of toy cars, mugs for caffeine breaks, and bulletin boards littered with notes, schedules and a multitude of pins, stickers and mementos collected at events and conferences. There would be sentimental keepsakes like photos and gifts from family and friends, and tchotchkes from favorite books, television shows, video games and travels. Among it all, the themes of shared experiences and extreme gratitude would begin to emerge.
My colleagues are some of my favorite people. The kindness and collaboration on display every day is evident through the thoughtful and innovative services we provide, the information available on our website and at our service desks, and the programs presented in our Community Room. This pride is also on display at each of our desks, through relics of library milestones and accomplishments. Aside from the many handmade items gifted by colleagues, one can find tokens of appreciation, like a glass from our Environmental Film Festival and thank-you cards from appreciative library patrons. Handbills from past programs are on display, as well as signed books from author visits.
Our desks, whether in our private offices or our public service areas, are extensions of the work we do and are small reflections of the community we are building together every day. While we continuously curate new collections of stories for you to borrow, it is only recently that I realized we are also carrying our own collections of stories to share, as well. Next time you visit us, be sure to stop by one of our service desks. We’re always ready for a good story.
Photo by Ella Jardim on Unsplash