You can read. Which is to say, you can glance at a piece of paper (or a glowing screen) and immediately, effortlessly take in the thoughts of someone else. The greatest philosophers, poets, scientists, novelists, artists, and world leaders in history have left the contents of their thoughts just lying around in a form that you can access instantly. We take it for granted, but it’s really magical.

Hiring Librarians (www.hiringlibrarians.com), the blog about hiring librarians, is working with Hack Library School (http://hacklibschool.wordpress.com/) to attempt to settle that age-old question, “do library schools actually teach what librarians need to know?” If you’re someone who hires librarians and would like to weigh in, please take the survey at http://tinyurl.com/hiringlibschoolsurveywww.hiringlibrarians.com), the blog about hiring librarians, is working with Hack Library School (http://hacklibschool.wordpress.com/) to attempt to settle that age-old question, “do library schools actually teach what librarians need to know?” If you’re someone who hires librarians and would like to weigh in, please take the survey at http://tinyurl.com/hiringlibschoolsurvey Keep an eye on Hiring Librarians for initial results, which will be posted in the next week or so.

Even though I work at the children’s desk, we get a lot of adult traffic as well. Some of these adults are parents, others are adults who don’t realize they are at the children’s desk, and others who wander over to us because of our proximity to the photocopier. I never turn adults away when they ask me a question. I will find books or resources for them, help them make photocopies, answer questions about computer classes, and walk them to the appropriate collection area if needed, the same as I would do for any child. My title is Children’s Librarian. Anything a librarian can do, I can do. Answering a reference question, regardless of the age of the asker, is something I should be able to do. I might not be as passionate about some of the reader’s advisory questions I get from adults, but I should know enough to do a RA interview, and I should have a working knowledge of major trends in adult literature. I believe that in a public library, this should be standard. You should be prepared and equipped to serve the public at any and all times, regardless of age, ethnicity, or ability. If someone’s needs absolutely require someone else in another department, please walk the person over, make contact with your colleague, explain the situation, and make sure everything is ready to go before you leave. There’s nothing worse than being passed from person to person and department to department without any continuity or follow through.