Confessions of a Shy Librarian

Confessions of a Shy Librarian….

Many of us get into the library business because we love books and tend to be a little shy and retiring.  I am no exception.

As a kid my favorite destination was the library.  My second favorite place was the chaise lounge under a tree in my back yard where my mother always knew she find me on summer days. And, she couldn’t just call out for me because my nose would be buried deep in a book and my mind would be a million miles away.

I was fine with people that I knew, but put me in a room with a stranger and I was tongue-tied and awkward.  And I sure was afraid to ask anybody for anything. (Except from my parents, of course, who will tell you I had no qualms about asking for anything at all.)

Does this sound at all familiar?

My mother’s mantra in times of stress was always, “don’t be afraid — the worst they can say is no.”

And like other clichés — there was (and is) truth in those over-used words.  As a teenager, I didn’t read Dale Carnegie (though I could have used him to teach me How To Win Friends And Influence People).  For some crazy reason I accepted the post of advertising editor for the New Castle (PA) High School Football Scorecard.  (Translate that as soliciting ads for the programs given out at every football game.)  What could be more traumatic? I had to call local business people and ask them to buy ads. I wrote out a script.  I measured and re-measured the ads that the business has purchased the year before.

I had to gird myself for each phone call.  I took deep breaths before each call — dialed, hung-up and dialed again.  I had to rest (and read another chapter of my book) between calls because I was so drained. But I pushed myself!  I tried!  I practiced in front of the mirror.  I knew that if I could do this — I could do anything.  After all, “all they could say was no.”

So here we are — 40 years later, I still take a deep breath when I walk into a room with strangers. I stuff my head with information and facts. I still take a deep breath and rehearse my words when I want to deliver a message or make an “ask”.