Category Archives: librarian

collectives.

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Chesterfield Library, Chesterfield, Massachusetts

COLLECTIVE NOUNS FOR LIBRARIANS
A group of librarians is called a cardigan.

A collection of empty chairs is called an author reading.

A collection of Eric Carle books covered in spit-up is called a storytime.

A group of exhausted mothers covered in spit-up is also called a storytime.

A cluster of teens reading quietly is called a mystery.

A pile of books gathering dust is called a hold shelf.

A handful of change is called a budget.

A stack of books on a nightstand is called a magical thinking.

A group of people who only remember “the cover was blue” is called a patron.

A plastic prize tub of stickers is called a summer reading program.

A collection of missing pieces is called a community jigsaw.

A group of retirees is called a Scrabble night.

A shelf of books in alphabetical order is called a miracle.

A group of shushing librarians is called a cliché.

A group of underfunded libraries is called a tragedy.

by Sally Miller

 

 

 

Source: McSWEENEY’S

 

the souls they never knew they saved.

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i love the library
i’m there at least a couple of times a week
an unending source
of knowledge, humor, wisdom, drama, community, films, music, and life
the librarians are the lifeblood of the place and somehow keep it all going
in elementary school
i volunteered to help our school librarian, miss hoopengarner
where i had the incredible joy of seeing new books come in before anyone else
proudly getting them ready for the shelves for others to enjoy
i’ll never forget
i unpacked, wrapped, made up a card, glued on a pocket, checked out to myself, and stamped a return date
on the very first copy i had ever seen of ‘charlie and the chocolate factory’
 i was the first one in my entire school to read this book
how very lucky was i?
it was a level of magic i’ll never forget.
and now, i have a little game for you to try:
your librarian name is the first name of the oldest person you know
followed by a last name composed of the adjective that best describes how you move through a room
combined with the main ingredient from the last sandwich you ate.
mine is: eleanor stumblecheese
(i rather like it)
let me know how yours turns out
‘i’m of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every living librarian who crosses my path,
on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved.’
-barbara kingsolver
image credit: pinterest vintage, santa fe library, the laughing librarian (game)