The Selfless Servant

A colleague recently shared a book with me entitled: The Public Library: A Photographic Essay by Robert Dawson. It had a very interesting article by Dorothy Lazard called, “Practicing Seva” (from the Sikh notion of selfless service). She talks about the increased role libraries are having in providing service to the homeless and untreated ill, especially as large psychiatric hospitals have continued to close over the years.

Lazard says, “We library workers are, in practical terms, surrogates for shuttered schools, parks, hospitals, and homes. And we know we are hopelessly unqualified to treat what ails many of the people who pass through our doors.” What librarians do, even with this influx of complicated patronage, is to carry on selfless service. “We are acting,” according to Lazard, “as the last outposts of community space.”

Librarians are trained to be polite, patient, and helpful, no matter who stands across from the reference desk. The most important thing is that we look them in the eye and take them seriously…And if our work calms someone’s demons or teaches someone else how to treat the mentally ill with respect, then I am proud to be a part of the process.

While this article did not encourage me much about the future of society in general, it did remind me that librarians can still be examples to others in how to deal with all members of our community. There may be times when a situation requires intervention from authorities, because someone has gone off their meds or added too much alcohol to their system, but in general, we are able to provide that safe space even for those who are living in another reality.

Knowing our patrons by name is a first step to building a comfortable environment for all, as we treat each person with respect as a fellow human being. It’s a challenge on some days, but is part of what makes the library such an important part of every community. I’m glad to be a part of that, and I hope you are too.

The Embedded Librarian

I recently attended a tri-regional in-service in Brentwood, TN, which dealt with analyzing community trends and telling the library’s story by gathering data. Much of what was discussed, we were already doing at our library system, as our current strategic plan process jump-started our awareness of this concept and helped us learn new ways to gather data and access our services.

One aspect of this process that is crucial for us to be engaged in on an on-going basis is looking at community trends. We were fortunate in having the great committee of community members to give us that baseline in community vision, but it’s important to realize that this is not a one-time issue. As communities grow and change, vision changes; new things change the nature of who we are and what’s happening in our area. Because of this, we as librarians need to be constantly listening to our patrons and citizens at large.

The seminar facilitator mentioned the idea of The Embedded Librarian. It refers to proactive efforts on the part of EVERY library staff member to be intentional about building relationships in the community. Each of us are parts of groups or organizations outside of the library. Are we listening to conversations with our library in mind?

Another idea was to seek to have coffee or meet with someone new in the community. Think of these two Community Reference Questions:

•  What are your concerns about our community?
•  What is one thing you feel we're not addressing?

Whether we meet new people or hear ideas through groups we're a part of, it is important to share what we hear with library leadership. When we see a new trend happening in our communities, maybe this is an area the library can engage, partner or provide a new service.

Our tag line at Linebaugh Public Library System is Explore, Imagine, Engage. This works for us as staff members as well. The more we, as staff, explore and engage with our community “outside” the walls of the library, the more we can imagine new ways to serve and add value back to those around us through targeted materials and programming.

I encourage you to become an embedded librarian! It’s for a good cause.