A Librarian and a Cab Driver

I live a car-less existence here in Tallahassee, which means that I get around via the public transportation system, a cab, my own two feet or thanks to the courtesy of friends. So, it goes without saying that I have had the "so, student at FSU, eh? What are you studying there?" question more than once with the cab drivers of the greater Tallahassee area. Whether I answer "information science", "library science", "to be a librarian" or some combination of the three the responses I receive generally fall along these lines:
- Oh. *silence*
- You're going to graduate school to check out books?
- Wow, you must really love books.
- I heard there is just crazy money in that.
- Huh. Why are you doing that?

I've accepted the fact that my future professional does not elict the type of responses I would get if I were pursuing a higher teaching degree, becoming a doctor/lawyer, or studying something in the "hard" sciences. I don't believe people think much about the kind of education librarians go through, other than the vague idea of reading a lot of books. Sometimes, depending on how tired I am and how interested the cabbie is, I will go on to explain in general terms that it's all about how information is organized and accessed whatever the format--books, DVDs, Web sites, etc. My goal, in a matter of speaking, is to help people find the information that is relevant to their needs in a world where the sheer volume of it can be rather overwhelming. Just think of me as a tour guide to the world of information.

A few of the cab drivers find this interesting and relevant. I smile. Some just cannot abandon the idea of an old lady with a bun that lives her life (with one or more cats)behind and through a stack of books. I sigh and figure that there is little I can do to change that perception in a 7 minute cab ride. And of course, every once in a great while there is a cab driver who believes libraries are the place to be for really raking in the cash. I find this hard to believe, but I suppose this could be true depending on what one's perception of a good salary is. I imagine librarians who work for large corporations and those who lean more towards the IT end of things may indeed make a decent chunk of change, but I did not get into the library field to make a financial killing (nor do I believe that was a motivation for most of my colleagues).

So, why am I doing this? It's not because of an inordinate love of books. I am a former English teacher and though I very much enjoy reading I am not under the mistaken impression that librarians get to sit and read all day while waiting for someone to check out a book or ask a question. At the end of the day, the reason I'm getting into libraries has a lot to do with this quote by Jan Bowman, "The more I learn, the more I learn there's more to learn. Therefore, I find that boredom is a state of mind one choses over useful activity." I'm a curious person and there is always something new and interesting to discover within the stacks or databases of your local library. Sharing information and skills with others-- whether it's how to use an internet search engine or recommendations for books to read after you finish the Harry Potter series-- is rewarding and never dull.

So in essence, I'm studying to be a cab driver on the information super highway. My services are free (in a matter of speaking) and it's always interesting to see where people are looking to go. Best part? I can go off-roading. Whatever it takes to get you to your information destination.