Reference Psychology

"While you are engaging in the act of giving, you should do so with great happiness and radiance on your face. One should practice giving with mental uprightness."

--the Dalai Lama

(If anyone other than the Dalai Lama were to say this, it would, I fear, sound corny, even trite. Yet, there's more than a grain of truth to be found in his words; it's lovely--and he's the Dalai Lama--the archetype role model for compassionate living. So there. :)

I've been working the reference desk for a little while now (since roughly mid-June) and I'm finally beginning to feel as though I'm coming into my own. Granted, I know next to nothing in the grand scheme of things & have loads left to learn (my aim being to never stop--forcibly shutting down the mind is akin to being dead, in my humble opinion) but I've the sensation of being home. Considering the fact that technically, I'm not even a "real" reference librarian, but rather a teen librarian who happens to staff the desk a good chunk 'o time, I think that's pretty cool. In fact, I like having such diverse job repsonsibilities--keeps me fresh, well-informed, & exposed to so many very different things. For example, just this week, I helped a first time cat owner learn about the special needs of her highly energetic (but loving) feral kitten. (Proof positive that it pays to be the "crazy cat lay") while later that same day a young child taught me what a meerkat is. Turns out, it's got nothing whatsoever to do with a cat, despite the phonetics of the name.

The biggest perk of my increased comfort--the realization that my rather divergent path to librarianship (all those once feared "pointless" degress & seemingly unusual experiences)--combined with my in-the-works professional development skills enable me to really help people. Also evident is the fact that it faciliatates the process of "making that connection." Patrons asking for me by name, stopping by just to say hello; high school kids keeping me abreast of how they did on that assignment, which speech is next; parents asking for my input...Though not necessarily affirmation of a job done perfectly on my part (always room for improvement!) yet it let's me know that I met their needs in some way--even if in no other capactiy than having validated their need was important. Never fails to make my day, and it's so, so cool to know that I've finally discoered a niche, custom made, just for me.