2 weeks and counting....

Well, 2 weeks from right now I'll be on a plane from Minneapolis to Amsterdam. Wow, time goes by fast.

The fact that I only have 2 more weeks means that I've been at my parents' house for 3 and a half weeks now, and it's hard for me to believe that that much time has passed. Where do the days go?

As I mentioned before, I told my mom that I would volunteer at the library 2 days a week in order to help her get caught up on some projects. I've been doing that, and I've learned a few things during that time:

1) I really enjoy working in libraries. There's just something about the process of preparing information for access by the public and then helping the public use that information that's exciting to me. You get to help people and explore the world around you all at the same time. What else would you rather do day after day?

2) I prefer working in academic libraries. I have nothing against public libraries; they're wonderful organizations that add a lot to their communities. I think it's just the fact that you don't really know who you're going to see walk in the door that gets to me. During my time at Brackett I did have my share of disgruntled patrons who broke doors and people with strange medical problems who chose to share them with everyone on the first floor, but I didn't have experiences nearly as strange as those of my mom and her co-workers. Today someone told us about a woman who walked into an area library with a baby carrier and said she "found this in the parking lot." And yes, there was a baby inside. Apparently a woman drove off and left her infant grandchild in his carrier in the parking lot! Also, public libraries tend to deal with many more stalkers, flashers, fighting school children, and general ne'er-do-wells than any academic library I know of. So, it's academic libraries for me, thanks.

3) I prefer working in the public area of the library. My mom works in technical services where they catalog and process materials for the various branches of the library. Obviously, there would be no library if there weren't people working in this department, but I think I would rather let other people do the job. I like detail-oriented work most of the time, but I just like working with people. Yes, the other employees in the department are people, but there's something about working in the public area helping people find information, even if you don't know what they're going to throw at you. (And sometimes that "throw" is literal!) I've enjoyed this time helping my mom; I just don't think it's something I want to do as a career.

4) I really miss my library family in Searcy. I call them my family because that's what they became. When I couldn't be around my own family, they were there for me. They encouraged me in my job and in my life. They prayed with me, they laughed with me, and they solved crossword puzzles with me. I couldn't ask for better co-workers. They have also been a great source of encouragement to me in my preparation for going to Germany. I told them this summer that, of all the people I'd have to say goodbye to, they would be among the most difficult. Then someone said it's not "goodbye" but "see you later." And that's how I like to think about it. :-)