How do you like being a librarian?

It rocks, anon.

Okay but for real, I spent like, the first part of my 20s trying to Make It as a young artist in opera and that shit was killing me slowly. I went to library school as a sort of interim skill that would let me work while my voice matured, and then while that was happening the world ended, and I ended up in the library job that I do now, and that security after working alternating retail and independent contractor gigs has been everything. Like, I'm still thinking things like: a set schedule? health insurance? paid time off? what luxury!!!!

and I've always been a Books Girl and loved surrounding myself with books, and in addition to that I just love....the detective work that comes with librarianship? I love working in reference and helping people find things, as my GA advisor said: "putting on my detective hat and solving things" it's the kind of complex problem solving that I really love. and I am just happy to find a line of work that I enjoy and that I can live off of that still gives me time to do things that feed my soul.

But I'll be honest, lately....I have been bored at my current job. I like it, and I like the people I work with, but there's just always external factors that are straining our department, and the work I'm doing now isn't necessarily what I trained for. I studied to be a music librarian, with a focus on reference and user services, and right now I'm in Interlibrary Loan, which is intricate and interesting in its own way, but it has less intellectual stimulation than the stuff I talked about above. So I've just been kinda....meh about work lately, but I am looking for ways to change that.

And, lemme tell you. I worked in a supermarket in the spring and early summer of 2020, and this is infinitely better than THAT.