Me, a Reading Room Librarian? I didn’t think I was the one for the job.
When my local Church of Christ, Scientist, moved our Reading Room downtown, we had a librarian who just loved the Reading Room and often spoke of her conversations with visitors. Among them was a man who came in almost daily to visit, a woman who had attended a Christian Science lecture at a nearby prison, and a devout Catholic woman who would pop in to talk. I enjoyed hearing about the librarian’s experiences, but whenever I had a shift in the Reading Room, it felt as though I was there more out of duty than joy.
Then, a few years ago I became librarian. It was a little daunting. I just didn’t feel that I had the enthusiasm of the previous librarian. I decided, though, that I could start by loving everyone walking by the Reading Room. I’d never met them, but still, I’d try to recognize them as intelligent, complete, loved ideas of God.
