Libraries have some magic about them, don’t you think, dear Pandas? They’re more than just the sum of their parts. More than just places to get books. More than the books, the shelves, the delicious aroma of yellowed pages. It’s the librarians working there that help bring everything together into a wonderful place of learning, exploration, and adventure. They’re the custodians of our imaginations.
Hard-working and stern, fun and supportive, whatever character your school librarian had, they’re bound to have left a mark on your life. Well, now Twitter users are opening up about their most awesome librarian moments, inspired by high school librarian and book author Amy Milstead from Texas.
She shared an incredibly heart-warming letter she received from a student that got people talking about the positive impact that library staff have had in their own lives. Scroll down for some soul-healing posts.
Bored Panda reached out to Marianne Chala, the Director of The Willoughby Book Club, the UK's leading personalized book subscription service, to learn about the most important skills that bookshop and library staff should have, as well as the best approach to getting back into the habit of reading if you haven't touched a book in years. Read on for her insights.
Image credits: amyomilstead
Image credits: amyomilstead
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Lovely human being and a great example of not just doing a job but taking the time to notice small and important things to make someone's life better...love this.
According to Marianne, the Director of The Willoughby Book Club, communication, interpersonal skills, and a desire to help customers all form a core part of what makes the people working with books so great.
"Empathy is extremely important, as well as good listening skills, as well as good communication and customer service skills in general," she explained to us.
"People want to be heard, and an excellent book for one person could be an awful choice for someone else," she said that every customer is unique and should be seen that way by the staff.
I was blessed this kind of librarian in 8th grade. She always talked to me,orders somebooks i could not get at school. Even let me borrow a book i loves during summer break ! We dont deserves librarians
Bored Panda was interested to get Marianne's take on how the pandemic has affected people's reading habits and what can be done to get people stuck in literature once again.
"I think people have gone one of two ways since the pandemic: either they’re reading more than ever, or they are really struggling," Marianne mused.
My city (and many others) eliminated late fees all together. They don't want kids (or adults) to feel pressured into returning a book before they're done reading them.
Libraries are one of the few remaining institutions where humans can exist without the expectation of spending money. That in itself is so very very important.
"If you have fallen out of love with reading, it's about rebuilding the habit. Carve out a little bit of time on a regular basis and think of this as a gift to yourself," she said.
"In terms of what to read, there’s really no right or wrong answer. Maybe try something aligned with your interests, and not too ‘challenging’, and if a book is not for you don’t feel guilty about moving on to another one, life’s too short to struggle through books you are not enjoying," she added that we shouldn't feel guilty about changing books (and, let's be honest, that just removed a lot of guilt from my shoulders).
So sorry for your lost, but it's nice that the son reached out to you
Librarians are great, but a mum with a PhD would have something to do, too.
Librarian Amy’s post got over 264k likes on Twitter. The biggest victory was the photo of the letter going viral and reminding people just how much they love reading, books, and the people who helped them in school with wise words and genuine support.
There are plenty of book-lovers who end up working with them outside of school libraries, too. For instance, during an earlier interview with Marianne, the Director of The Willoughby Book Club, she told Bored Panda all about the pet peeves that her staff and other book-lovers have and about the crimes against books that she’s seen with her own eyes.
“Our staff are comprised of book obsessives, booksellers, and library assistants—I was a bookseller myself for 20 years before joining The Willoughby Book Club, so we have seen a lot of abominations towards books in our careers!” Marianne said that, unfortunately, far from everyone is kind to books.
Oh, my dear, that is NOT a small thing...it is the biggest thing there is.
One book ‘crime’ that she has seen in some people’s homes, for instance, is books being arranged with their spines facing inwards. “This is a crime against literature,” she quipped.
What’s more, Marianne and her fellow staff members also hate it when people crack the spines of books on purpose. Especially if they do it in front of everyone. What’s more, the book club isn’t a big fan of film tie-in covers: “We’re all snobs, and loathe these!” They also frown upon anyone who buys books just for show, without any intention of reading them.
Some of the worst things that Marianne has seen people do to books include: having lent a beloved book to a family member, only for the dog to maul it; a burst pipe destroying an entire collection of books that reduced Marianne to tears, and someone using a bread knife to saw a large book in half because it was “too big to read in bed.”
“From working in bookshops, I have had books returned for a refund that have been dropped in the pool on holiday and are crunchy with sand… or when 50 Shades of Grey was the thing, we’d get copies returned with the spine cracked on the saucy bits,” she told Bored Panda.
woah 4th grade ???? at that time I didn't even know what a clique was
I hadn't ever heard this quote from The Big Yin before. So happy to hear this.
These kids know some big words! They probably got them from the books!
“I have seen sandwiches, burgers and on one memorable day, a whole burrito tucked into the shelves with the books… and a large coffee upended on the Christmas display tables of bestsellers— ugh, it’s giving me hives to have to re-live it,” Marianne explained to us just how far some people have fallen.
Bored Panda had also asked Marianne about book borrowing etiquette, as well as how long it’s usually polite to hang on to a book. After all, not everyone lives close to a library.
“I’m cringing a little at this because I am a notorious book magpie and have ‘accumulated’ quite a few books that were lent to me in good faith. This is Not Okay and was the most frowned upon behavior from the Willoughby team,” Marianne was very honest that she collects borrowed books without meaning to (just like yours truly).
“We’ve all fallen victim to it (but I’m the only one owning up to doing it myself!). It also raises the issue of hurt in the poor lender. None of us set deadlines, that’s just not how it goes, but I think if you don’t see it back in a few months, you can wave goodbye to it forever.”
What country did this person come from where they don't have libraries, I wonder?
Note: this post originally had 70 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
She added: “Despite the risk of books not being returned, we all love books and will take that risk to pass the love on. It’s so great when someone loves a book you’ve recommended, and we’re really lucky to be able to do that for a job!”
As a kid my father sends me to play with the other kids... (I liked to be outdoor but not playing with a bunch of neighbourhood kids) So I often hide in the library and sneak through the backdoor back in my room with a bag full of adventures to read.
As a new librarian, this makes me love this job a million times more. I like knowing I might make a difference in someone's life.
As a retired Librarian, all I can say is that you can make a difference, especially to a child!
Load More Replies... As a kid my father sends me to play with the other kids... (I liked to be outdoor but not playing with a bunch of neighbourhood kids) So I often hide in the library and sneak through the backdoor back in my room with a bag full of adventures to read.
As a new librarian, this makes me love this job a million times more. I like knowing I might make a difference in someone's life.
As a retired Librarian, all I can say is that you can make a difference, especially to a child!
Load More Replies...