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Re: Skirting the dreaded...



On Wed, 23 Jan 2002, Pope, Barbara wrote:

> Yes, I frequently get comments from people, usually family or non-librarian
> friends, who ask what exactly it is I do all day? Oh, yeah, you're a
> librarian, so you must read a lot. No, I don't "read" books all day, but
> mostly magazines, articles about my job, email from other librarians, etc.,
> etc. Yes, I also have been asked if I "really" need a master's degree to do
> my job. I know some who don't, but they do usually have as many
> responsibilities or as much pay. The books I do get to read don't have
> anything to do with my job and I read them specifically to better myself.

When I was a student working in a university archives in Ohio, we had
an elderly gentleman on the staff whose responsibility was local
government records.  They had a state mandate to collect old records
from courthouses (or cellars of private homes) in several counties,
and he would spend time perusing these massive volumes to determine
where volumes fit in with existing holdings and where the gaps were.
These bound records hadn't been maintained or properly housed for
decades, so many of them were in deplorable condition -- red rot,
thick dust, etc.  When people asked him what he did, he loved to tell
them, with a twinkle in his eye, "I get paid to read dirty books."

Any of us who work with old records that haven't been properly kept
can probably make the same statement on occasion, and I've enjoyed
using this line myself, especially when those asking the question
aren't going to understand a long explanation anyway (e.g., certain
"rustic" uncles of mine).

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

James Stimpert                       ** PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING:
Archives (Arts and Sciences)         E-mail:    stimpert@jhu.edu
MSE Library
Johns Hopkins University             Voice:     (410) 516-8323
3400 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD  21218                 Fax:       (410) 516-7202

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