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A review by trayceebee
Librarian Tales: Funny, Strange, and Inspiring Dispatches from the Stacks by William Ottens
3.0
I have enjoyed William Ottens' 'Librarian Problems' posts, Facebook page, and blog for a few years now. I believe he created the majority of the early posts, but it really took off in Library World and I think that there are many fan contributions now.
If you work, have worked, or volunteer in a library, I definitely think you should read this book. It, like Librarian Problems, is a great outlet for people in Library World to maybe vent/commiserate with people who will truly get where they're coming from. And as Ottens points out in his book, these posts DO NOT mean we don't love our jobs working in libraries. I would guess that the majority of us DO love our jobs.... but hello, they're "jobs," meaning there are tough bits, bits we don't enjoy doing, etc. Ottens gets into a little bit of detail as to how he, himself, became a librarian (and why), as well as some of the inner workings of the typical library system. There was little in this book that was *new* to me, but it was definitely an entertaining read, knowing that it's the same all over. (Validation is such a big thing for humans, I think!)
*SPOILER*
One interesting tidbit--this book came out smack in the middle of COVID-19 and it's touched upon briefly in the final chapter. This is the first book I've read that talks about the Pandemic, and since we're still IN IT, it was definitely surreal. But I was glad, too, because it really felt like "life moves on" when I read that chapter. We deal with the challenges as they come our way, and we come back for more!
If you work, have worked, or volunteer in a library, I definitely think you should read this book. It, like Librarian Problems, is a great outlet for people in Library World to maybe vent/commiserate with people who will truly get where they're coming from. And as Ottens points out in his book, these posts DO NOT mean we don't love our jobs working in libraries. I would guess that the majority of us DO love our jobs.... but hello, they're "jobs," meaning there are tough bits, bits we don't enjoy doing, etc. Ottens gets into a little bit of detail as to how he, himself, became a librarian (and why), as well as some of the inner workings of the typical library system. There was little in this book that was *new* to me, but it was definitely an entertaining read, knowing that it's the same all over. (Validation is such a big thing for humans, I think!)
*SPOILER*
One interesting tidbit--this book came out smack in the middle of COVID-19 and it's touched upon briefly in the final chapter. This is the first book I've read that talks about the Pandemic, and since we're still IN IT, it was definitely surreal. But I was glad, too, because it really felt like "life moves on" when I read that chapter. We deal with the challenges as they come our way, and we come back for more!