It may come as a surprise to some but even us crotchety and withdrawn librarians take time during Thanksgiving to be thankful for things. For instance, we are thankful for quietness and order. There is nothing that pleases us more than being able to hear the breathing of our patrons in the adult reading area 50 feet away, and in case it gets loud, we are very thankful for the invention of Shhhhh. Also, we are thankful for books and periodicals but only the type you can hold in your hands with covers, bindings, and pages – eBooks and electronic formats of information definitely don’t make our list of things for which we are thankful. Furthermore, we are thankful for our domain – the library – where we can enforce rules and exert our will ruthlessly.
Hopefully you’ve realized after reading the paragraph above that it was written facetiously and with much sarcasm. In asking the staff here at the Orange City Library what they are thankful for in regards to their work, it occurred to me that none of the answers sounded like one coming from a stereotypical librarian. For example, our children’s librarian is very thankful for the great attendance we had at the summer fun shops and programs. She was excited to see so many kids involved and participating in events at the library. Another library staff member and fairly recent hire is thankful for her new library friends – both staff members and library patrons. Similarly, a staff member said she is thankful for such friendly and respectful patrons. The staff as a whole is thankful for continued growth and support for the library. 296 new patrons have been added since this July, which means our patronage is growing and the community is learning and being entertained. With that growth in mind, we are also thankful for the support we receive from the community monetarily. It allows us to keep up with new trends and offer new things in digital as well as traditional formats. And finally, I’m thankful for the staff members I work with - their answers indicate that the old stereotype of librarians is dead. We have a staff that is eager to help children and adults, a desire to build relationships with community members, and a willingness to continue utilizing new technology. So these are a few things that the Orange City librarians are thankful for. What are you thankful for?