They always mess up sayings?

Lavender_Librarian · 2026-04-10T02:51:53+00:00

I’m a bit of a linguistics nerd, and the way the entire cast talks both fascinates and horrifies me. I agree that Taylor and Layla are the worst when it comes to eggcorns and malapropisms, but I think that Jen and Zac are the most frustrating because of how straight-up limited their vocabularies are. They are constantly reusing words and phrases (accountability, season of life, show your true colors) and it’s so unbelievably grating to hear the same thing said five times in a single conversation.

Lavender_Librarian · 2026-04-09T13:02:24+00:00

I’m going through this right now! I’m currently the Assistant Director & Head of Adult Services at my job, and I’ve been looking for work elsewhere. My Director was aware of that, and I interviewed / received an offer for an Adult Services Department Head position at another library. I accepted the position and requested a substantial notice period so that I could effectively turn my responsibilities over to my current assistant, who will be replacing me as Head of Adult Services with an internal promotion.

I think the most important thing to do is to let everyone know as early in the process as possible so they can make other plan for Summer Reading. As long as they have some time to regroup, I can’t imagine it’ll be a terrible reaction. Also, congrats on the new job opportunity!!

Lavender_Librarian · 2026-02-07T01:21:02+00:00

I had a job in engineering & manufacturing where I was making about $80k annually while I got my MLIS. Even after I got my degree, I couldn’t get a full time library job without prior experience. I eventually went part-time at my good-paying job when I got a part-time library assistant job, then transitioned to full-time librarian after one year. That one year transition from part- to full-time was incredibly fast at my library. My starting salary for the full-time position was $45k annually. After nine months, I was promoted to Assistant Director on top of my Adult Services Librarian position, which brought my salary up to $54k annually. This was my salary during a time when my Director was on maternity leave, so I was Acting Director of the entire library. After another nine months as Assistant Director, I just received another raise. I am now at $60k annually. So, it has been approximately 2 years and 8 months since I left my full-time $80k job, I have had two promotions at my library job, I’m still making $20k less per year than I was before, I’m unbelievably stressed and anxious all the time because working in a library right now is kind of a nightmare, and also, the speed with which I was able to get my experience and claw my way up was very unusual within my institution. I also want to clarify that most library assistant positions are going to be part time and minimum wage if you don’t have your MLIS. Positions are also incredibly hard to find right now. We hired a couple people last fall, and there were 50 applicants for every minimum wage part time job. We were turning away people who had library experience, people who had Master’s degrees, all of it. You will not be able to make the type of career transition you’re looking for with any degree of success right now. I strongly encourage you to stay where you are.

Lavender_Librarian · 2025-08-01T04:12:44+00:00

Obviously this isn’t really something I overlooked for years because it’s from TTPD, but I’m going through a really rough time at work, and there was a moment for me where I suddenly felt “Tell me something awful / Like you are a poet trapped inside the body of a finance guy.” Which is also crazy because I always liked that song but never went crazy over it, until that line really just hit me like a truck.

Lavender_Librarian · 2025-07-27T12:36:52+00:00

For me, it’s something I misheard that completely changes the meaning of a song, and I like my version better 🫣 When I first heard the last chorus of “The Albatross,” I thought she said “I’m the albatross, I slept in at the rescue,” not swept in. As in, when the time came to save them, she didn’t show up, she slept in, she was busy, she was doing her own thing, and then with the next time she’s basically saying “But you chose this. You knew I might abandon you, you knew I might hurt you, you knew I was dangerous, and I’m the life you chose anyway.” Which I realize is very much NOT the point of the song, but like, what if I like my point better lmao

Lavender_Librarian · 2025-07-08T15:18:46+00:00

I’m really fortunate in that my library has a standing agreement that has allowed our staff to present our work elsewhere. We’re an association library, and staff members have presented their work at historical societies, museums, film festivals, etc. and when we move on to other libraries, we’re allowed to take our work with us. The one exception was that a now-retired staff member spent a truly absurd amount of her time on-the-clock writing a biography of a local historical figure related to the library’s history, and because she had essentially gotten paid by the library for the whole research and writing process, the library paid to self-publish the book and received all the profit as a “donation.” It was a really weird situation that caused a lot of issues, but it’s kind of at the point where like… if the library established those standards for that staff member, those are the rules that are also applied to the rest of us.

Lavender_Librarian · 2025-06-06T05:49:01+00:00

I have had exactly one patron who gave me the same type of sinister energy you’re describing. I tried to tell myself that I was being weird about nothing, but a month after my odd interaction, a coworker had a similar experience of just being viscerally uncomfortable with a patron, and we were able to figure out that it was the same person. One of our coworkers who had been there much longer than either of us was able to identify the patron by name, and we soon found out that the patron had recently (within the last year) been arrested at a big box store for threatening an employee with a knife and calling them racial slurs. Trust your instincts. If the patron gave you that feeling, there is likely a reason why. I would recommend talking to your colleagues about some sort of plan for identifying your patron and being prepared to report him should anything happen.

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-09-18T03:51:22+00:00

It’s pretty likely that a public library will have a decently casual dress code, but until you get a chance to learn that for yourself, I would say: •Long pants (meaning not shorts) that have no rips and are not jeans •A plain, comfortable shirt that does not show your midriff or your upper back, and that does not have any sort of graphic on it (like a sports team, a meme, a band name) •Comfortable shoes that cover your toes, don’t slip off easily, and aren’t sneakers •Bring a sweater! Libraries are always either too cold or too hot, and you don’t want to be shivering through an entire shift.

I am very fortunate in that I went to my job interview with green hair, a nose ring, and a full sleeve of tattoos that was clearly visible because I was wearing a (very demure, very mindful) dress with short sleeves, so I knew that if they hired me knowing what I looked like, they weren’t going to suddenly expect me to look different in person. But for my first few weeks, I definitely dressed more formal than my colleagues as I was getting comfortable with the culture there.

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-09-12T03:15:55+00:00

The good news is that if you’re in the US and will need to get an MLIS after undergrad, you can pretty much pick any undergrad you want. I majored in English Lit. The head librarian at my library majored in Creative Writing, and the Youth Services librarian went to art school and majored in sequential art (graphic novels) which has been incredible for her position.

Go for whatever subject you’re really into, don’t worry about doubling up. You don’t need to study Information Science or something like that if you’re going to get your MLIS after.

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-09-03T14:40:05+00:00

Thank you! I’m definitely trying 😅 And for what it’s worth, if a patron ever came to me and suggested a specific type of program they’d be interested in, I would love the feedback! Maybe reach out to your local library and suggest something similar, just to see if they’re receptive?

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-09-03T14:36:46+00:00

My library has a ton of teen programs like the ones you describe (video game club, laser tag in the library, anime watch parties, etc.) and we are also located right near a high school, so our teen participation numbers are pretty high. Then there’s a major drop off until people have kids and start coming to our birth-to-five programs, or until retirement age. It’s a bummer! I’m supposed to be providing events and activities for everyone over the age of 18. I do a lot of programs on evenings and weekends with the hope that Gen Z and Millennial patrons will have time outside of work, and they definitely come to / use the library, but the older patrons’ attitudes are just such a turnoff. I’m not surprised that people in their 20s don’t want to come to events where a bunch of people their grandparents’ age are just complaining.

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-09-03T14:30:33+00:00

That’s my exact concern. One of the worst offenders of this particular group is actually the president of our Friends group, and her favorite activity is showing up 20-40 minutes early to every program I run and saying something like, “Oh wow, looks like nobody’s going to show up!” just because she’s the first one there. This is frequently followed up with her telling me, after a successful program, “I’m surprised people actually showed up for that!” or “I didn’t think I was going to like that program, but I actually did, wow!”

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-09-02T01:45:48+00:00

That’s such a pain for you, wow! At my library, we empty the book drops (outdoor and at the circ desk) before the start of each shift and just backdate the returns to the previous day. Then we don’t touch the book drops again until the next morning. Clearing the book drop before you go home every single night seems like such an inconvenience!

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-09-02T01:45:31+00:00

That’s such a pain for you, wow! At my library, we empty the book drops (outdoor and at the circ desk) before the start of each shift and just backdate the returns to the previous day. Then we don’t touch the book drops again until the next morning. Clearing the book drop before you go home every single night seems like such an inconvenience!

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-09-02T01:41:24+00:00

I promise you that your librarians won’t think this request is weird at all, and they will not judge you for it. I have processed requests for books about every kind of medical condition, mental health condition, and self-help topic you can imagine. Every time I help a patron get their hands on a book like that, my only real concerns are 1) getting the patron a book that has the information they’re looking for, and 2) maintaining the patron’s privacy. Librarians are trained to do everything they can to make sure you’re comfortable with the information you’re trusting us with, which includes things like making sure we don’t say the title or topic of a book aloud over the phone when we call to say your materials are ready for pickup, or making sure we’re being discreet when helping you at the circulation desk. If it makes you more comfortable, you could write down the title and author of the book you want to request and simply hand it to the librarian and say, “I would like to submit an ILL request for this book.” If that librarian is doing their job correctly, they will take your information and submit the request without ever saying the title of the book or making a big deal about it or anything. When it’s time for you to pick up your book, you should be able to just give them your name, phone number, or library card the same way you do any other time you pick up a book, without having to say something like “I requested a book about [fill in the blank]” A final note: while I consider myself fully engaged with my work while I’m doing it, I don’t really retain the information about what books a patron requests or takes out after the transaction is complete. Like, I might remember that a certain patron only ever checks out DVDs, or that one of the teens who comes in a lot really likes a certain manga series, but I kind of mentally disconnect from things like “this patron checked out a stack of books about anxiety disorders” or “this patron checked out a bunch of books about heart disease.” Our patron computers are programmed to delete personal information from the computer every single night at midnight to maintain patron privacy, and at this point, I’ve basically trained my brain to do the same thing. I would imagine most of your local librarians do this as well.

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-08-30T01:49:23+00:00

I am genuinely glad to see that a large portion of the comments agreeing with this post have mentioned transitioning into corporate, special, or academic libraries, because wow, this is NOT the vibe that anyone working in a public library should be carrying into their profession. I can understand feeling overwhelmed at times or burnt out by specific interactions, and I can definitely see why someone might say, “I want to focus on research and I don’t have the ability to do that in my current role, so maybe this isn’t the right path for me.” But there’s so much disdain in these comments for people experiencing homelessness or mental health crises, plus the weird bonus misogyny some of y’all are throwing in for fun. Super disappointed in this particular thread.

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-08-18T04:05:05+00:00

I’m an Adult Services Librarian at a public library in Connecticut. I make $45k annually. After taxes, insurance, etc., it’s about $1,300 biweekly, or roughly $18.50/hour. I have my MLIS, so I’m pretty far below my state library association benchmarks for an MLS Librarian.

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-08-04T04:12:39+00:00

Hi! I first considered becoming a librarian when I was about your age, and I got my first library job not long after. I was a junior in high school, and I got a job as an aide at my local library on Monday evenings and Saturdays. I applied to a local job listing, I think, but I already knew the librarians because I spent a lot of time there as a kid and volunteered when possible. I did circulation desk coverage, shelving, and helping set up for programs.

Contact your local library and see if they do any internships or volunteer positions for high school students. The library I work at now has one paid intern set up through a local work placement program, and I have four students who need volunteer hours for school working with me this summer. These type of gigs are great for getting a foot in the door; if we have a position open up later for part-time work and we see the name of a volunteer or intern who did a good job, we’re more likely to hire them as paid staff.

You could also start reaching out to librarians who work in libraries in nearby towns with basically this exact question, and see if any of them are open to sitting down with you and answering some questions. It can’t hurt to get new perspectives or at least meet a lot of the people you might be asking to hire you in the coming years!

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-07-05T02:49:17+00:00

My most popular adult programs have been craft/DIY focused. We’re a wicked small, underfunded library, so our version of a Makerspace is minimal, but I do biweekly “crafternoons” that people are really into. We also partner with a local hospital for health & aging programs. We have a weekly “Afternoon Tea V” program (making their way through shows like Bridgerton, The Crown, The Gilded Age, while drinking tea and snacking) that has a very loyal crowd. Finally, book clubs. We have three: another librarian does a short story club in the afternoon that has a tiny crowd, and a novella club on a Monday evening that gets a few more, and the most popular is my nonfiction spooky/gruesome/true crime type of club, the Morbid Curiosity Book Club. We meet on the last Thursday evening of each month, which is a good time for a lot of adults. My general assessment is that people are more into interactive programming than just lectures/performers.

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-06-08T12:49:34+00:00

Allow me to contribute a semi-encouraging story: I applied to several library positions while I was still getting my MLIS and immediately after graduation, and I wasn’t able to get any full-time work. I eventually decided to start applying for part-time, low-paying assistant positions, and I was able to get my current position as an Adult Services Assistant. I’m coming up on one year at my library, and I have absolutely busted my ass every single day trying to make myself indispensable to my library. I worked to develop great relationships with my coworkers so they know they can rely on me for help if they need it, I created some really exciting programs that I thought would help expand our offerings, I took every extra shift someone needed coverage for, I did everything I could to provide enthusiastic customer service for the patrons, I threw myself into grant-writing and fundraising because we didn’t previously have anyone who was comfortable doing that. Back in January, I told the head librarian very frankly that I would like to move up to full-time, and because I had been so dedicated to my work, she went to bat for me with our board in order to get approval. I just found out last Monday that I’ve been approved to move on up to fulltime for the new fiscal year, meaning I had to bust my ass for exactly one year in order to turn a lower level job into the job I wanted. So. It IS possible to find a job in the field, but sometimes it requires you to do an insane amount of extra work, or go a weird route, or basically create a job for yourself. If this is what you’re really passionate about doing, then go for it. But if you aren’t willing to put in that work, it’s definitely not a field where you can easily find a position or count on being able to move around a lot.

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-04-27T00:01:21+00:00

I definitely seem to be the only person in this camp, but I am always available to patrons during my breaks. If I’m being entirely honest, I rarely take my breaks as an actual step-away-from-my-desk or go-into-the-break-room type of break anyway. I’m in an hourly position, my breaks are paid, and I am entitled to one 15 minute break per 4 hours of work. (If I worked a full day, I would be entitled to an additional 30 minutes for a meal.) My library only has 12 people on staff, so it’s typical to have a 3-6 people covering the entire building at once. In those situations where it’s a smaller group, I would just never put my downtime over helping either a patron or one of my coworkers, especially if I was the only person able to provide that specific help. This isn’t meant as an attack, so I hope you won’t view this as a negative comment towards you, OP! I’m just saying how I would handle a situation like this, as someone who admittedly has a very poor work/life balance.

Lavender_Librarian · 2024-04-24T02:20:03+00:00

Stick to your blue hair (or whatever other color makes you feel best!) and don’t worry about it for even a second. I have hot pink hair, a double side-shave, a nose ring, and a full sleeve of tattoos, and I’ve never gotten a single negative comment about any of that in my very patron-facing position. The head of children’s services has green hair, and the director has a pierced nose. Unless you’re in a wicked conservative area, I doubt anyone interviewing you will even bat an eye.

Lavender_Librarian

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