Note: This post contains mentions of substance abuse and abuse. The library is a magical place to many, but there's a lot more to working in one than just shelving books and handing out library cards. Recently, I asked BuzzFeed Community members who work or have worked in libraries to share the inside secrets and surprising everyday experiences of working in a library, and the responses were so insightful.
Here are some of the most fascinating and shocking stories: 2. "As a children's director in a public library, the book challenges always break my heart. I'm trying my best to develop a collection that not only reflects the community I'm serving but also the marginalized people of said community.
Being in a conservative part of the US, I constantly have to defend my choices of diverse and inclusive books. It's such a fine line of making sure each side of the divide can find what they want/need in our collection. So many of our youth have to hide parts of themselves from the world, and I want them to know that the library is a safe place for them.
" — ccballard 4. "Circulation clerk here. The amount of sneezed-in or sneezed-on books I've seen is staggering.
And it's not just kids' books — adults are just as gross." — actingkalokairi 6. "As an archivist (a section of librarianship), people think everything is online and that everything under the sun needs to be digitized.
But they never realize how long it takes to digitize collections, how much manpower it takes, and how.