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“It is about a search, too, for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying.”

STUDS TERKEL — WORKING XI
ENTER SITE
My Story

What is one thing about your work that most people don't know?

I work in a library and it is an experience like no other. I have worked at four different libraries and each has its own unique flavor. People do not know the jewels, power or dangers of the library. You can learn almost anything that you desire to learn: for free. You can change your entire mindset, career, physical body, spirituality and more simply by taking action from the page. In the library, there are all types of people, for it is the great equalizer. I have met people who could buy an entire block of houses without a second thought. I have been trapped in an elevator by a man with mental illness. I have interacted with homeless individuals doing their best to navigate in this society. Many people do not realize the treasure that they have within their reach, for there was a time when libraries were only for the elite. Some libraries are struggling to keep the doors open from lack of use but others are thriving cultural centers. If there is any place in this world that can sharpen and elevate the human spirit, it is a library. We must cherish it because it may not always be there. It is the place where opposing ideas are given equal respect on the same shelf. It is truly what you utilize it for.

What makes you most proud of the work you do?

I see the library as an opportunity to inspire people. I love seeing how a person can revolutionize themselves through the power of reading. It is beautiful to witness such a miracle.