New collections librarian seeks ninja's input?—April 1, 2011
The mark of a good ninja is that she can enter and leave a room without making a single sound. If you believe the early 90’s movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze, a good ninja can take all the bells off of a dummy without making a single ring. I am not that sneaky, and I don’t think I ever will be. That is why, when you see my nametag for the library, it says “Collections Librarian” and not “Ninja.” But I notice that some of you are like stealth ninjas when you come into the library, and to that I must say STOP!
Now don’t get me wrong, libraries are places where there should be some level of quiet. Obviously, librarians didn’t get a reputation for shushing for nothing. What I mean to say about you all being ninjas in the library is that we as a staff would like to know you’re here and a know a little about you. I see some of you sneak in the front door, slink up the center staircase, grab your novel from adult fiction and get through self-checkout before I can even get off a friendly hello or a description of your face. Where is the fun in that? I would much rather have you come in through the door and say hello (at the very least) before launching into for what you’re looking. You see, that’s what I’m excited about with this new job. I want to know what YOU are looking for. I want to know what you’re reading. I want to know what TV you’re watching. I want to know what it is that the library can provide for you, the patron. Otherwise, what good is a community library?
But I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I. You don’t even know who I am. My name is Jake Rundle. I’m the new collections librarian at the Public Library. “Collections librarian” is library speak for awesome….I mean, it means I oversee all of the collections at the library, from the time one of the staff orders a book or movie or whatever until the time that book or movie or whatever falls apart or breaks in half or gets eaten by a puppy or a toddler. I’m also one of the librarians who will shape the collection to fit the community’s needs. Which brings us back to YOU!
I need your help. I need to know what kinds of materials the library doesn’t have that you want to see here. Do you need more craft books (found in the 745’s and 746’s of nonfiction) or more popular fiction (found on the shelves to the left of the front desk on the first floor) or would you like it if everything came as a book on CD (currently shelved on the 2nd floor by the magazines.) I need to know these BIG IDEA suggestions so that when the time comes to start ordering new things for the library, we know what you want.
And I promise I won’t start acting like a ninja if you stop.
