When he saw me, he smiled hello, and turned to his co-worker to remind her of the ‘thing he had to do.’ He scuffed his feet on the carpet as he shuffled out from behind his protective barrier and out into the stacks. Despite his stocky stature, he had a smooth soft voice and demeanor, no doubt perfected from 13 years of working in the quiet atmosphere. He gestured to a small square wooden table by a window where we sat to have our hushed conversation.
How long have you worked in a library?
Oh man, wow, I think I started at the end of 1995. I started when I was 17. I was a page for the first couple of years until I started college and got a clerk position. I actually went to Saint Rose for awhile for Graphic Design, but that didn’t work out after someone in my family got sick.
What are the worst parts of your job?
Patron complaints, kids breaking rules, running out of paper for the copier, computers crashing…it's not really a bad job, its just stressful when a lot of little things go wrong in the same day.
Have you ever had to kick anyone out of the library?
Yeah, not so much here, but the North Albany branch--that’s bad. It’s almost like a rite of passage there for kids to get kicked out. It was a daily thing. Here, there aren’t problems often.
The most recent library newsletter mentions using Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero and other video games to get kids to come to the library. Is that something this branch offers?
Not here, but they did Dance Dance Revolution every Friday night when I was at New Scotland and there was a huge response.
How do you feel about drawing kids into the library with video games?
I’m not old- fashioned and against video games. The way I see it, it keeps them off the streets, and they are having a good time. It’s also good for parents because they would get involved too.
Creating a sense of neighborhood seems to be a real focus of the library campaigns. Do you think that’s why they are putting the time and money into so many upcoming library renovations?
Oh yeah, definitely. [Nods head emphatically.] The library is all about trying to become a good neighborhood center. But it’s mostly because some branches really need it. I think they just want to get them all done at once while they are at it.
As I understand it, renovations to this branch are expected to begin at the end of April 2008 and it is not scheduled to reopen until April 2009. How will this affect you?
There will only be three libraries open when initially there should have been five or six. They will be overstaffed and we will be tripping on each other, but at least we will still have our jobs.
Do you like being here better than the other libraries you have worked at? Definitely more than North Albany. The teenagers there were always testing you.
What is the strangest book that you’ve come across in this library?
Strangest book. Hmmm. A few interesting titles come to mind. [He trails off.]
Are they G-rated?
No. That’s the thing. [His eyes cast a downward glance at the floor as he laughs softly.]
Would you like to go back to school to pursue graphic design again?
Yeah, that or another type of art. I told myself last year that this year I would attack the art world really hard.
Kind of like a New Year’s resolution?
Yes, but before that. I want to be in galleries and have shows. I want people to see my work.
What kind of art do you make?
I haven’t done much recently. I’m just trying to get back into it. But I do illustrations of scenes around me--people, streets, buildings, cars. Especially people.
This was kinda tough for me because I’m normally a quiet person. But I feel like I owe you a good closing since I couldn’t answer that strangest book question for you.
Okay, you said you never intended to work in a library, but you like it. So what would you say it’s added to your life?
[His brow furrows.] People in my neighborhood see me coming to work in a tie and they wonder what I do. I think I help people become more comfortable in a library.
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