Library 80: Baldwin Memorial Library (Newbury)
Librarian: a job description.
Library 80! The Baldwin Memorial Library was the 80th stop on my quest to read, write, & knit in as many of Vermont’s public libraries as I can during my sabbatical.
I read: Gather by Kenneth Cadow, chapters 9-11
I wrote: a text message to my “no committee,” a group of trusted humans who advise me on which new professional commitments to say “yes” to and which to say “no” to
I knit: a Lindal Pullover test knit by Ona Woldten
This saloon-turned-dress-shop-turned-library (that’s a first!) is in an incorporated village, Wells River, in the town of Newbury. This library is celebrating its 175th birthday this year. This must be one of the oldest I’ve visited.
Melissa the librarian recently learned from some sleuthing that she is related to Colonel Baldwin, the library’s namesake (pictured below). During my visit, Melissa was gardening, painting a sign for the community garden, and being a librarian.
In my 80 library stops, I have seen or heard of many librarian duties: Welcome everyone. Read books. Recommend books. Make displays. Run programs. Do the budget. Call politicians. Write grants. Fix books. Answer all the questions. Be historians. Flip over sheep. Flip over statues. Give directions. Shovel snow. Teach people how to use the internet. Catalog everything. Teach people how to type. Read aloud. Sculpt. Organize legos. Keep plants alive. Build a fire. Knit. Crochet. Oversee volunteers. Help people vote. Fix clocks. Stamp passports. Attend conferences. Write books. Re-shelve books. Write reports. Speak at town meetings. Raise puppies. Make tea. Play corn hole. Paint a community garden sign. Protect our right to read. Write newsletters. Vacuum. Curate truck loads of donated books. Organize book sales. Paint a wall. Meet with the board. Encourage children to read and talk and be themselves. Rearrange furniture. Hang art installations. Update websites. Chase squirrels. Plant trees. Give a tour. Teach a class. Make a waffle. Save books from a flood. Host a film crew. Listen carefully. Tell a good story. Remodel. Issue library cards. Be patient, kind, smart, funny, helpful, knowledgeable, curious, and welcoming.
This library had great displays of great books and a great vibe and a great librarian, who was doing all the things.
Thank you, librarians, for doing all the things.
