The People We Meet

There's something so very valuable about providing library service in a community with one half of the population older adults living in planned retirement communities. Early on in my tenure, I was given an extremely useful piece of advice:for many people here you may be the first person they've talked to today. This was brought home again to me as I read The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. In the book we meet Leo Gursky, a retired locksmith who immigrates to New York after escaping Nazi SS officers in Poland, only to spend his twilight years terrified that no one will notice when he dies. He makes a point of being seen when he's out, like buying a juice even if he's not thirsty, or when he buys something and feels the clerk hasn't noticed him, he'll drop his change and make a small commotion so he'll be remembered. So, too, with our library users. They just need some words in return that say you've noticed them. I need to remember that. I entered this profession because I recognized a field where I could have a positive impact on the lives of the individuals with whom I come in contact. Each day I'm given the opportunity to acknowledge someone, with a simple smile, a book recommendation, a few minutes to listen to a personal story before they go home, perhaps to an empty house. And it's not only the older folks. With so many people working at keyboards remotely, face to face conversation may be a rare commodity in their days as well. We all need a portion of that human contact. When you call our library your call is not answered by an automated system but by a library staff member. We acknowledge the profound importance of personal contact, be it in person or over the phone. We make it personal to say we value you.