The Importance of Privacy

The other day, I was asked why privacy of patron records was important.  The person asking the question just did  not understand why I was making such a big deal of it.  This little thing about a patron's privacy was getting between him and his goal.  Couldn't I just forget about this privacy thing just this once?

I have been working in libraries for over sixteen years.  Most of that time was in patron services.  I don't know how many times I have heard, "I think I know who has the book and their desk is right by mine..." I have seen tempers flair and threats issued.  I have seen political weight thrown around.  I have nearly lost my job over this.  I have been referred to as radical.  Still I hold the value of confidentiality sacrosanct.

In my years in library service, I have worked in institutions which range from very liberal and very conservative.  I have seen what pressures can come to bear on someone who holds a dissenting view.  I have seen the looks of disgust when a certain book or writer is named.  That hostility can easily be transferred onto those who read those works.   Furthermore, many books that a patron may check out may be of a sensitive nature.  I myself have checked out books on health and other sensitive topics. 

I am committed to patron privacy.  Most of my patrons may not care that much.  Most may never know that I am guarding their information.  For some, however it may be their salvation. 

mid-life crisis in the library

The other day I was thinking that a library must be a terrible place to have a mid-life crisis.  In a library, one is constantly surrounded by books he will never have time to read and knowledge he will never be able to make his own.  It is almost enough to drive one mad.  If Faust were alive today in one of our moderately sized libraries, he would have gone mad too long before coming to the place of selling his soul.  Slowly, I am coming to terms with this.  I am becoming much choosier in the books that I read.  I do not join book groups.  Still, every day that I walk through the stacks, I am faced with my own finiteness.  

In The Line of Duty

A couple of years ago, I received a work injury.  I did not fall.  I did not pull my back under a heavy load.  I did not attempt some heroic feat.  I irritated a tendon in my knee from getting too many books off of the bottom shelf.  Most of my injuries have not been impressive.  I have had only two sports injuries: I threw my shoulder boxing in a friend’s front yard, and I broke my toe playing Hacky Sack.  I am pretty hardy, and I am not that old.  Still, some days it seems that every item that I need is on the bottom shelf.  I am not complaining; it is part of the job.  The bottom shelf often has some great treasures.  My job may never be as dangerous or as courageous as the police or other emergency responders; but I am proud to brave the dangers of irritated knees, sore wrists and endless paper cuts for my patrons.

High Praise

The other day, I was introduced by a student as, "the best librarian ever."  I write this not to boast, but to speak of the ways that we touch our students.  I am not sure that I could pinpoint one stupendous thing that could have impressed this student in this way.  I do not recall helping find a very obscure reference or saving the day in any big way.  I do try to listen attentively to my students.  I give them time.  I build relationships with them in a small way.  My goal is that every student that comes to me feels validated and valued.  Perhaps this attention to the person is just as important as any question answered.