Battleax Be Gone

by aka Kath

The pre-automated check-out process used to involve a librarian flipping through an alphabetized Rolodex. My husband, who is one of eight children, would watch those cards flip around with unease… make that panic, all because of a colored paperclip. Whenever the red paperclip appeared the librarian would take the opportunity to remind my not-yet-husband about any overdues owed by his siblings. This would have been no big deal had the librarian been remotely pleasant about it. She was NOT!

The old battleax wielded her petty power over the poor gawky, stringy-haired kid (yes, I’m talking about my future husband) like she was Snape himself interrogating Harry Potter. As a result, my hubby is not a library fan. He prefers to purchase rather than to borrow.

Thankfully, library practices have been updated since then. Privacy has much improved. Future kids won’t have to worry about the red paperclip or the perpetually angry battleax librarian. Well… maybe not the former.

There are three school libraries I’ve visited recently that are so out-of-date and under-utilized, arguments could be made to gut them and use the space for something else. I don’t mean to be harsh or disrespectful, but if the librarians-in-charge had been the slightest bit forward-thinking, I’ll bet these libraries would not have languished so. If the librarians-in-charge had been pleasant to staff and students, administration might have been more willing to spend money on necessary updates. To the detriment of their libraries, and the profession, they continued typing bib cards and purchasing nonfiction videos (yes, I mean VHS) right up to retirement.

It’s easy to get caught up in the daily routine. The library building, equipment, collection, etc. need to be maintained. When we find a tactic that works, we tend to stick with it. The danger is allowing the routine to take the focus away from why libraries and collections exist at all. They exist to SERVE PEOPLE.

Sometimes, after a particularly disheartening day, I wonder if I’m becoming a battleax myself. When this happens, I ask myself the following questions:

• Am I excusing myself from learning and updating skills, even if my employer won’t be compensating me for my efforts?
• Am I relying too much on past schooling (i.e., do I think my MLIS makes me a permanent, “more important” professional)?
• Do I think employment is or should be based solely upon seniority or tenure?
• Am I overly sensitive about criticism?
• Do I read AND incorporate what I have read in professional literature?
• Do I sigh, roll my eyes, cringe, and/or talk under breath when the customer isn’t looking?
• Am I unwilling to change or try something new because I’m afraid or lazy?
• Why am I doing this particular task? Is it because I’ve always done it or because it NEEDS to get done? Can I delegate it?
• Do I think that because I worked really hard on something, I deserve more credit?

I’ve heard my share of whining in teachers’ lounges and librarians’ work rooms. And, I’m embarrassed to admit, I’ve participated in “venting” frustration. What did it get me? Nothing but a fleeting feeling of partnership with co-workers that faded to guilt the next morning.

Today, librarianship is under chronic scrutiny. To cut back on expenses, librarians throughout the world are being replaced with paraprofessionals or worse, volunteers without professional qualifications. We cannot give anyone an excuse to eliminate another position. So, my fellow librarians — new or seasoned, let’s stay relevant, positive, and, above all, PLEASANT!