Head Tale

A couple recent conversations with different colleagues has inspired a patented Headtale listicle…namely, what are some things that make a good library worker?

1. Someone who grew up listening to/playing/being part of the punk rock scene.  *Every* person I know who fits this description has been an *amazing* library worker.

2. Someone who grew up with a parent who was a nurse (full disclosure: my mom was a nurse so I’m biased on this one.  But I know others who fit this description who are excellent too!)

3. People who had a low-paying retail job, preferably in food services, as their first job.

4. People who have traveled internationally.

5. People who have worked in nonprofit organizations, bonus points if it was a social services agency.

6. This one goes without saying but is surprisingly not as common as you’d think among library workers – people who read a lot *and* read widely.

7. People who didn’t have a lot of money growing up.

8.  For lack of a better term, people who have a “zen” personality.

9. People who are genuinely kind.

10.  People who have kids.

Disclaimer: this list is not exhaustive by any stretch, correlation is not causation, etc. etc. Some of these things may also make someone a bad library worker.  But these are just a few of my own observations which may or may not hold true in all cases, your mileage may vary, etc. etc. 😉

(Oh, and to show I’m not writing this as some sort of way to pat myself on the back, I only score 5/10 out of the things on this list meaning I’m probably not a great library worker by my own definition!)