Tuesday, August 4, 2009

I should have been a librarian...

When I was in high school, I took one of those "interest profile" assessments administered by the counseling office. The results indicated that I would be a good librarian. I also had management aptitude, so "head librarian" would be a suitable goal.

I did not think that the result was accurate because, in my world, librarians were not cool, or hip and I aspired to coolness and hipdom!

I discarded the advice, as I did other pieces of valid wisdom offered to my by people who did not know as much as I thought I did.

I have often thought how much more satisfying my career might have been if I had investigated the idea, just a bit...

Because I love libraries!

Before the Mister came along and joined us, it was just Ms A and I. We lived in a house in Overland Park, Kansas across the street from a park on the Santa Fe Trail (apparently the swales from the covered wagons can still be seen, if one knows where to look!) The park was small (the perimeter walking path was just a half mile) and the far side of the park backed up to the library.

We considered the library to be our own.

We loved, loved, loved everything about the library!

During my visit in June, I spent some time with a realtor and at the end of an evening looking at houses, I asked her to drop me at the library. I knew everyone was out and about and I would rather wait at the library than sit on the stoop in front of Wisest Sister's house.

As I walked up to the door, I saw this truck in the side parking lot. I thought it was strange to have a seafood truck parked at the library! Upon closer look, I realized it was a library truck, painted with a sense of humor!

Two others were parked too close together to get the side view...
You know, I don't think I have ever read Kafka.
And I have only become aware of Benjamin Button through the movie industry.

And actually, I have never read Moby Dick, either.

I even love it that the library humor is over my head!

8 comments:

NPT said...

a charming piece! And the library humor is invaluable, as is the photographic evidence. Thanks for posting these. There's a bookstore in Taos, New Mexico that calls itself Moby Dickens, but this is the first I've heard of a library embracing its mission in such a disarming way.

Tish said...

Yah, well, those tests told me I should have been a Nun or a mechanic...

Stickhorsecowgirls said...

Okay, these trucks are great! And, as for being a librarian...well, I have a library in my home. I am a complete nut about books--when one hits my home, it never gets to leave. HOWEVER, I am so disorganzied and ADD that no real library would do well under my management! Thanks for this sweet post! C

Martha said...

The trucks are so great -- someone in the Johnson County library system has a wonderful sense of humor.

I don't remember taking that test when I was in Catholic school, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have suggested librarian for me....and certainly not nun! -- do you think the non-Catholic school test results included nun?

Allie said...

I've taken vocational aptitude tests 3 times, and every time librarian came up! And I believe it - I've gone to the library with my boys every single Monday for years. Since we homeschool, a good bit of our curriculum comes from there. We used to average 50 books a week between us! Now we're down to 20.
I love those trucks - what a creative idea! So glad you got the pictures!

Anonymous said...

The trucks are a hoot!!The library web site even has a spot to click on the trucks for explanation.
I have several books that I had to wait on a list for my turn to check out and I don't want to go back to the bottom of the list again..so I have put them in a separate tote and am taking them to the new house today..to go on the living room shelves so they don't get mixed in with all the other books. And so I can read them when I am too tired from moving to do anything else! Love, WS

Lynne said...

What clever advertising for the library! I've never seen anything like that!

I used to play "Library" when I was little. I would drag my considerable collection of books outside on the picnic table and put them all in order. It was fun until I had to lug them all back inside again at night! ;)

My sister works in a library but not really as a librarian; she does programs with children and reads at story hour.

Iron Needles said...

Tish as a nun? She wasn't...isn't...catholic! I should go to the library. I have books to donate to the FOL bookstore. I might find more I need, too. I am getting low. Only about 4 or 5 more unread. I might not make it to the sale.