The Hokey Pokey really IS what it’s all about!

For some time now, I’ve been thinking about another job. I applied for a director’s job, after quite a bit of soul-searching and urging by others that I’d be really good at it. The money sounded really good– hey, I could probably afford to go to some warm, beachy place in the dead of winter, and rejuvenate if I had that job. So I applied. I was interviewed, but not hired. I had spent a good 2 months thinking about no longer being a children’s librarian, about instead being the person in charge of ordering adult books and making big decisions and changes for our library. I thought about no longer being the guest storytime lady, the person who fights the good fight for early literacy, the person who makes the library cool for teenagers, and I decided that as the “big” librarian, I could still advocate for these things. I could still browse the picture books when they came in and I could still read YA novels. So when I was told that I was not hired, I was disappointed, but I dug in and went back to being just the children’s librarian. Then I saw another director’s job open in the cutest, funkiest, coolest town I’ve ever been to –the town that my husband & I visited and said, “If there’s ever a library job open here, I should apply”, and so, after more soul searching, I sent in my resume.  

But last night, at the 5^th annual Wolfville Library sleepover (does a director sleep at the library? I think not), in my near feverish state  (recovering from a nasty cold which has nearly taken my voice away and has left me tired and listless), as I lead 18 kids and their parents in a rousing round of the Hokey Pokey, I realized, that yes, this IS what it’s all about. I am not JUST the children’s librarian. My job is much more than that. It is about making young readers into lifelong library supporters. It is about parents who love books and want their children to love books. It is about children who have the great fortune to live in a country that has free library service, and even if their parents are not wealthy, they can still come to a place like the library and have an experience that lasts a lifetime. It’s about community, it’s about life. Money has little to do with this career path I’ve chosen, though it’s a fair living. Maybe I can’t afford that trip to Bermuda, but hey, I’ve got the Hokey Pokey, and all is good.  

So even if they call me for an interview in that funky little town, I’ll have to decline. I like my fairly non-descript small town, my easy commute, my cozy home, my friends here. And as my husband reminded me, it is important to have a job that you feel lucky to do. And I do feel lucky– I love children’s literature, sleeping at the library is actually fun, kids are funny and smart and joyful, and this is a job I like doing. I get PAID to do this.  So, realizing what a great job I have, I’m putting my whole self in, and shaking it all about.