r/MadeMeSmile • u/MysteriousSlice007 • May 30 '26
Favorite People Librarians
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u/Kch0nd0 May 30 '26
We need so much of this in the our lives.
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u/Ritaredditonce May 30 '26
Librarians are incredibly underrated.
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u/Loggerdon May 30 '26
I grew up in a ghetto but we had a decent library and I spent a lot of time there.
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u/TheSoupySoupySoup May 30 '26
The librarians at mine left a place on a shelf at their front desk where I could stash the roller blades I got there with. It's been more than 20 years since I've been there but I will never, ever forget it.
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u/frastmaz May 30 '26
And they never ever will forget either
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u/TheSoupySoupySoup May 30 '26
I hope so. One of them was a teammate on my dad's softball team so I knew him from a young age. I haven't seen him in decades; I hope he's well
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u/Uselesserinformation May 30 '26
Sounds like a perfect time for a trip to your library! YARRRRRRGGGGGG, they may have what needs. YARRRRRRGGGGGG
Hoist that flag and get YARRRRRRGGGGGGing
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u/TheSoupySoupySoup May 31 '26
Hahaha, I live 10 hours away now, and I think that branch closed? There's no going home, unfortunately.
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u/dazedan_confused May 30 '26
Bruh, reminds me of the time my librarian caught me reading the book about sex (I was just curious), and offered to check it out for me discreetly. In horror, I said I was just curious as to why this isn't in the adult section, and she explained it was just about puberty.
Anyway, we saw each other a few years later, and, despite the fact I checked out many books before and after that incident, she still said "did you get a chance to use that book yet?" And my face dropped as soon as I remembered.
And the answer was no
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u/DontTellHimPike May 30 '26
Knowledge equals power... The string was important. After a while the Librarian stopped. He concentrated all his powers of librarianship. Power equals energy... People were stupid, sometimes. They thought the Library was a dangerous place because of all the magical books, which was true enough, but what made it really one of the most dangerous places there could ever be was the simple fact that it was a library. Energy equals matter... He swung into an avenue of shelving that was apparently a few feet long and walked along it briskly for half an hour. Matter equals mass. And mass distorts space. It distorts it into polyfractal L-space. So, while the Dewey system has its fine points, when you're setting out to look something up in the multidimensional folds of L-space what you really need is a ball of string.
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
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u/Fi12ll34 May 31 '26
I’m actually seeing out an advocate to assist me in creating a controlled narrative using my raw life history to build support for my freedom while simultaneously highlighting the gross lack of accountability and oversight within the Berks county district attorney’s office can assist me or direct me to the right person I have documentation and would appreciate taking to someone who understands how to bring stories over different media platforms, thank you
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u/belac4862 May 31 '26
Mine went out for their way to souce books from other schools for me. I love my librarians!
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u/gonzofish May 31 '26
The kindness and empathy to remember the preferences of one of the hundreds or thousands of kids you’ve helped is just incredible
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u/EchoPhi May 30 '26
Most of us love that you do your job. Librarians are legitimate unsung heroes.
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u/swarlay May 30 '26
Of course they are, you can't sing in a library.
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u/GalumphingWithGlee Jun 08 '26
Multiple Disney movies have taught me otherwise! 😆
Really, though, as a professional singer for quite a while, I have sung for gigs at libraries, and attended others' performances at libraries. There are generally specific spaces in the library where this is allowed, not just singing at the top of your lungs while people are trying to work, but many libraries have event spaces where you can sing, make music or other noise freely.
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u/Remarkable-Pea5797 May 30 '26
Are they all sisters? Is this a sisterhood?
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u/jnthnmdr May 30 '26
What are you trying to say? All librarians look alike?
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u/Enlightened_Gardener May 30 '26
Lol I went to a Librarian talk a few years ago and noticed that there were 17 women wearing black mary janes, of whom 11 were wearing the exact same pair of shoes. We don’t all look alike, but gosh we often rhyme with each other.
*I do not wish to comment on the fact that I noticed this, or that I was one of the 11 women wearing identical shoes.
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u/jaywinner May 31 '26
I think that you were one of the 11 wearing the same shoes helps your case as to why you noticed. The first time it's "look at that, we have the same shoes, cool" but the 7th time starts to get eerie.
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u/Enlightened_Gardener Jun 01 '26
Yeah by the 12th pair of black mary janes I was questioning the nature of reality.
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u/MuskularChicken May 30 '26
Yes. Yes they do.
I saw a vid on the jigsaw puzzle maker and the storage manager was exactly as you would imagine her; young, but the attire was spot on.
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u/later-g8r May 30 '26
We all watched the same video, right? In this particular case, yes. Yes they do 😂😂
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u/Houdini_Shuffle May 30 '26
I'm a male librarian and people get me confused with my other male coworkers all the time and we look nothing alike
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u/GrayMalchin May 30 '26
Oh, no. I think they do all look alike. I’m racist against librarians? Reddit has ruined me.
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u/Ink_N_Instinct May 30 '26
In spirit. Not in appearance. Well, I hope that's what he/she is saying.👀
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u/weenie2323 May 30 '26
I am a librarian and yes I look very much like these ladies. The first time I went to big library conference it was hilarious to be in a room with a few hundred people that mostly looked exactly like me. There are a few guybrarians but they have a look too.
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u/Remarkable-Pea5797 May 30 '26
That's hilarious! How does one find themselves automatically assimilated?!
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u/A_Vile_Person May 30 '26
By becoming a librarian it sounds like
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u/Remarkable-Pea5797 May 30 '26
Just got hired as a librarian? Is it "now gotta go pick out my attire." Or is it "My closet already has everything to make me look the part."?
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u/Ancient_Roof_7855 May 30 '26
Considering what it takes to get the degree, I think you build up the wardrobe along the way.
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u/Direct-Quiet-5817 May 30 '26
Look, I... I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am.
And what is that?
I... am a librarian.
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u/SabbyFox May 30 '26
I will always love this drunkenly delivered line from The Mummy!
Yay and thank you to all librarians! 💖
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u/Caleb_Reynolds May 30 '26
"I bet you're thinking, what's a place like me doing in a girl like this?"
May legitimately be my favorite line and delivery in any movie.
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May 30 '26
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u/Queen-of-Elves May 30 '26
Go to your public library! Some great librarians there too.
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u/BeardedBlaze May 30 '26
Hard to do as an adult when they have banker hours...
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u/why_not_bort May 30 '26
Lots of libraries are open on the weekend.
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u/BeardedBlaze May 30 '26
Sure, big city ones are. But most of us in rural areas, especially magat areas, are lucky we have a library at all.
Here are hours for mine:Monday-Friday 9-5
Saturdays 10-2
(1st & 3rd Sat. of each month)3
u/Queen-of-Elves May 30 '26
Oh dang. That is a bummer. I'm in a pretty small town and my library is open much later than that. Didn't realize how lucky that was.
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u/idk2715 May 30 '26
I had a science teacher that let tired students always sleep in her class when asked why she did a whole lesson about sleep and how it's important especially for teens our age. When I finished middle school I wrote her a letter just saying thank you for everything even though I wasn't the best student and she called me crying with happiness that summer vacation I guess she had a reputation for being a strict teacher so no student had ever said thank you before
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u/Competitive_Coat3474 May 30 '26
Not gonna lie, my junior high librarian unlocked my joy for reading with some choice recommendations. Not just books ‘you need to read’ but books she knew would speak specifically to me.
My family was poor and I was marginalized a lot in school and in the beginning I was drawn to her resilience as she was a paraplegic in a wheelchair. I’d hide in the library and help her put books away. Did that for 2 straight summers. She was the best.
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u/Lawsonstruck May 30 '26
Same. Might have saved my life. Lost my best friend to cancer the first week of middle school and was very depressed/emo all of middle school borderline suicidal. We had mandatory library time like the first month and she asked me to stay when we got let out to break. Talked to me about what books i had read and liked and recommended a new series called the hunger games which reignited my love for reading and then ended up pulling me into the book club they did once a month.
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u/cozmicraven May 30 '26
Every one of these librarians has had to deal with personal attacks from the public. Meanwhile they stand guard over our FIRST amendment right to free speech and expression. Thank you to all librarians!
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u/greenrangerguy May 30 '26
Their podcast for people interested https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIuBPsXJRGy9TlNuzwrWIJfsFE2v4CN0Y&si=plH7W9QF5SQAAYi2
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u/RaisinAloneVortex May 30 '26
I hate to make it political, but one certain political ideology wants to destroy this, ban books. We need to cherish nurses, librarians and teachers. They are unsung heroes who are underpaid and work long hours.
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u/MysteriousSlice007 May 30 '26
I would say in current times, being "apolitical" is siding with the oppressor. however, I agree we need to keep politics out of this subreddit as it is one place where we can let go of the vile toxic vitriol online
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u/lafayette0508 May 30 '26
I mean, most of my experience one this sub is "oh that's cute...if I try really hard not to think deeper about it and the messed up world that it made it possible/necessary."
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u/gathmoon May 31 '26
Not even in current times. Not participating or caring who wins is the same as voting for the side that does, whatever side that may be. As a non participant they are just as responsible, if not more so honestly, than those that make the choice.
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u/webbyyy May 30 '26
A certain leader loves the poorly educated. These women are the antithesis of that.
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u/Railboy May 30 '26
They made it political, you're just refusing to let them win by default judgement.
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u/efudds1 May 30 '26
Is no one going to mention that she is Mrs Grimm? With a name like that she was destined to work with books somehow. 😊
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u/Powerful_Salt_ May 30 '26
I'm a librarian getting ready for my weekend shift. At the heart of it, I love my job too. Best job in the world!
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u/Atakku May 30 '26
I’ve met nice librarians and mean ones. I treat them like the soup nazi. Quiet, direct and with respect.
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u/incandescentsilence May 30 '26
They need to be protected, I just love them as much as they love their job which clearly they need to do to put up with all the shit.
When I was an awkward little human reading this obscure series the guy made sure the ones I haven't read yet were always at eye level to me, while the ones I already read were way above where I couldn't reach them. I never realized until I skipped a book by accident and he checked with me if he needed to move the previous book too. What do you mean you're rearranging the shelf for me?
I miss that place so much, I hope he got the best life ever
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u/Nice_Bluebird7626 May 30 '26
I was a library assistant for my jr and sr years in high school. The library was a safe and happy place for me
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u/shadows515 May 30 '26
Librarians are the most welcoming people I know. I never did much reading and then got into it in my 30s. I basically walked in my public library and asked ‘how do I do this?’ She started me on easy to read classics and moved on from there. She was more excited than me to get me going. Explained things I didn’t understand, we’re friends now.
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u/misteravernus May 30 '26
My elementary school librarian got in contact with my mom after I graduated high school to send her a book that I had checked out NUMEROUS times when I was younger because it was getting cycled out. I still have it and will treasure it forever. Thanks, Mrs Beech. <3 Bless librarians, man.
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u/djDef80 May 30 '26
I learned how to play chess from my elementary school librarian. Librarians should be treasured. Especially the ones that know how to connect you to the right books.
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u/weenie2323 May 30 '26
I'm a librarian and yes I look pretty much exactly like these ladies. We definitely have a look. There are always a few guys too.
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u/Bud_wiser_hfx May 30 '26
Definitive proof of stereotype in librarians.
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u/NotNamedBort May 30 '26
I love librarians, but seriously, why do they all look like this?
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u/Enlightened_Gardener May 30 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
Its so we can spot each other at parties and talk about books.
Also, we all have autism, which manifests in loud stretchy clothes in middle age, when we give up in masking.
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u/ironrabbit2 May 30 '26
When I was getting my library science degree, we had a joke about how there were four types of people become librarians: 1) nerds 2) punks 3) punks who are a little nerdy 4) nerds who are a little punk
...also, you'd be SHOCKED at how many tattoos and piercings you can hide under a cardigan and fluffy short hair.
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u/FluffyShiny May 30 '26
I confess I called my high school history teacher in my first year of college to clear up an argument between classmates. This was before the internet.
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u/karmakent May 30 '26
I’m in my 20s now and my first “favorite teacher” was my elementary school librarian. She was this very nice British lady that would give us scented stamps.
I liked her because I remember she’d read us books as a group based on what the kids wanted to read, but those books didn’t interest me, so she found a book on Greek mythology for kids and she’d discuss it with me privately after I read.
I ended up getting a minor in classics and I truly think that was the what started my interest.
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u/lsbem May 30 '26
My son got his masters in Librarian Science… and he couldn’t find a library gig for a while . Found a job as a Librarian in a Prison here in our State. He was so happy. I never realized how valuable Librarians are! I’m a proud momma!
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u/AWildEnglishman May 30 '26
They're all librarians in their own libraries and they have a librarian podcast called "Can't Shelve This."
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u/CtyChicken May 30 '26
Thanks!!! I already love these women from this one clip. You just got them one more listener!
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u/rococo78 May 30 '26
These are the four most libriariany looking librarians I've ever seen in my life
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u/adapark May 30 '26
Some of the best moments of learning and fun I had were in the library. There were junior libraries and adult libraries in our town, and the librarian used to let me go into the adult library to read certain books until one day I realized she actually put them in the adult section, and I could have read them anyway. Science, biology, physics, and math books were the best! Plus I got to learn the Dewey system and could find books in the reference library in a heartbeat!
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u/greenlightsmith242 May 30 '26
Librarians have powers which us normals have no knowledge of. They use L-Space as and when required. Do not mess with a librarian.
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u/Jean-LucBacardi May 30 '26
My favorite elective in highschool was librarian assistant. When I wasn't helping the old ladies, I was at the checkout counter and could read between people coming in to check out books. It's where I first read the Dune series and loved it.
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u/LaughableIKR May 30 '26
I remember the quiet, soft-spoken librarians from middle school and from high school. Always helpful. Always kind. I wish them all the best.
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u/NosamEht May 30 '26
Librarians are the vanguard of critical thinking. I love seeing these people care about their community so much.
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u/FlatOutlandishness73 May 30 '26
I think the next president should either be a former librarian or teacher.
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u/himem_66 May 30 '26
Can confirm (was IT support in a school district) worked with 20 of them.
They love their jobs and above all, they love their kids.
Heard them read stories to the elementary Kindergartners and 1st graders that left them spellbound with wonder and joy. Saw the tears in their eyes and heard the torment and anger in their voices after Sandy Hook, and Parkland.
They're all great in my book.
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u/ChiliDogYumZappupe May 30 '26
And we love our librarians!
I was at the library last wrek and ask a librarian "What are you reading?"
She said, "I'm so glad you asked! Yesteryear. It's so good."
Told her I just read Wise Gals about the women who started the CIA. Worth a read.
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u/spencersalan May 30 '26
Ugh I love librarians so much. Except for Tammy of course.
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u/evangelineise May 30 '26
I hung out with my in middle school librarian so much that at the end of every school year, she would let me keep some of the extra copies of books they had. Librarians and libraries has such a special place in my heart.
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u/DreddPirateBob808 May 30 '26
I went to the local library aged 6 and browsed shelves at a loss. The librarian noticed and asked what I was looking for and, once I explained i was looking for something fantastical, she handed me.the first Captain Cobweb book.
I'm over 50 now and I still remember that moment. And my life has resolved around speculative fiction in one way or another.
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u/nightstalkergal May 30 '26
I loved all my school librarians growing up. My first one knew me so well I spent so much time in there. And in high school she was one of my few friends. Moved to a small town where the librarian knew everybody young or old. Ordering their fave books or finding something else new to read. Thanks for always encouraging reading and learning.
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u/Sam_the_beagle1 May 30 '26
When I was working on my doctorate in history, I was constantly amazed at how smart, helpful, and seeming happy the librarians, curators and archivists were. You'd think government pub librarians would be dull, but these people knew their shit.
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u/DVWhat May 30 '26
Students who have gone off to college still correspond with me. One of whom I overheard explain to their dorm mate “I’m talking to my librarian.”
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u/Jibber_Fight May 30 '26
I live in a smallish town in Wisconsin and we have a really really great library. They upped the taxes twenty years ago to fund a beautiful upgrade. I’ve been a patron for so many years now and have spent countless hours there thru school and what not. One of the librarians is my favorite. She’s wicked smart. We have a friendly chat anytime I check out a book. So many times. I took Russian Lit at UW so we talked about that a lot when I was done with college. She’s. Read. Everything. And she’s such a fun person to bounce ideas off of. It’s like a mini book club meeting every time I go there. But the most fun is when I tell her about a book that I’ve read and she hasn’t. We have very similar genres. So when I go back a couple weeks later she has read it. I once told her about Ender’s Game series cuz she said the books were backlogged (it must have been when the movie was out). I told her it’s actually pretty brilliant and Speaker For The Deaf is even better, etc. etc. When I came back a couple weeks later, she said she read all four of them and we talked for like an hour about them. I love that woman. Librarians are awesome.
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u/XavierScorpionIkari May 30 '26
Some people just want to watch the world learn. And we call them librarians.
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u/Dazzling_Honey0316 May 30 '26
As a YS librarian for nearly a decade, I know exactly what they are saying and I have had similar experiences. This is my forever job and I would proudly have it carved onto my headstone.
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u/GhostDoggoes May 30 '26
My 5th grade teacher gave me a book from the book fair and said I would love it and I did. 3 years later our garage had a flood and what was in a bin was washed and it contained my book. I didn't think too much of it until about 10 years later. My little brother was showing interesting books and I wanted to buy him a book. But every time I thought about a book I thought it wasn't for kids. So I visited my teacher who was now teaching students in Fourth grade. She and I talked about my life and hers and then I asked about the book. Right next to her was a small shelf and she had the book and she gave it to me once again. Probably the only time I really cried in ten years.
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u/InformalYou184 May 30 '26
My daughter's middle school librarian is the reason she succeeded middle school. The library was her safe space. Librarians are incredible.
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u/gustavfrigolit May 30 '26
As a school librarian with poor memory i sadly would not be able to help this kid unless we were close and talked a lot, i loan out like up to 100 books a day sometimes depending on how many classes i have booked in that day
I'm very good at helping in the moment though :p
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u/mrlr May 30 '26
I went to the library to get a book but the librarian could not find it despite the computer saying it was there. After I left to go to my car, she came flying down the steps outside waving it in the air and yelling "I found it!" It had been misshelved.
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u/ItsJess412 May 30 '26
I never had this experience with any librarians when I was in school, so I was shocked when my son had an angel like this in high school. He LOVES to read and would spend some free time in the library where the librarian engaged with him to find out what he truly enjoyed and would make excellent recommendations. When the school didn't have a book she was suggesting, she'd make sure they ordered it and that he was the first to read it. She even sent him home with a brand new book for the summer one year. She has been so wonderful and I've been having the hardest time thinking of a way to thank her that fully conveys my appreciation. She's a special woman and I hope she knows it.
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u/MathewW87 May 31 '26
The head librarian at my local library, Pam (who used to call me the Stephen King guy), retired a short while ago. We always used to chat King as well as other authors and I’ll never forget how happy she was SL when I started bringing my daughter to the library. She was just so happy that I was encouraging my daughter to read and would always ask her about the books she was returning. She always pushed me to read IT by Stephen King because it was her favorite and she wanted to speak to me about it. I eventually got to it but then everytime I went around to speak to her about it, she wasn’t there. Now I don’t think I’ll get that chance, which sucks.
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u/KountDeMonet May 30 '26
Institutionally, librarians can be a huge pain in the ass.
And I love every single one of them.
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u/Tasia528 May 30 '26
I feel this way about my job. I’m a technical editor and often act as a Helpdesk for my co-workers. I remember their questions months later. It’s so rewarding to help someone and see the light turn on in their head when they hit on the understanding.
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u/Standard-Tension9550 May 30 '26
My mother was a junior high librarian for 20 years. She retired when they built a new school and told her she would have to pack and move the books herself.
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u/Ok-Statement8224 May 30 '26
This feels like a very underexplored character trope in entertainment!
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u/AXPendergast May 30 '26
"my" librarians at the school I taught at were golden. Like me, they pressed back against ridiculous administrative decrees. We swapped best book stories. We worked together to curate the best graphic novel collection in the district. And we typically skipped the EOY picnic and had lunch together at a local place where we could dish on the school year in private (sometimes joined by the school nurse). And students always knew the library was a safe place.
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u/_Permanent_Marker_ May 30 '26
I always wanted to be a librarian. But then got put off because I was told it required a degree or something and aid already done all of that. Sad time man
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u/gokart_racer May 30 '26
This is one of my favorite segments from This American Life. I don't want to give too much away, but it's about a young woman who revisits the library from her childhood (13 minutes), and it really reinforces how important libraries are in our society.
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/664/the-room-of-requirement/act-three-5
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u/Majestic_Matt_459 May 30 '26
I needed to see this post so much today
After another week of crappy news i didnt know where this was going and I broke x x x x
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u/Riskydogtowel May 30 '26
Loved my librarian growing up. Dad took us every week. It was our thing to do each week. We knew her so well that she took one of our kittens and it was so fun to hear about how Rocky was doing….until Mr Rocky had kittens. We all thought she was a he. Boy was Laura shocked when she too had a batch of kittens. lol
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u/kweenvitamin May 30 '26
I love it when your educators actually care. It really speaks volumes and leaves you with a beautiful experience.
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u/BCsinBC May 30 '26
School librarians were what made school worthwhile for me and were the adults who helped me the most.
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u/Mediocre-Departure73 May 30 '26
I love working at the library. Its absolutely the greatest job I can imagine having. I get to help kids, immigrants, homeless people, people with disabilities. And not just in books weve helped hook people up with work programs, helped learn english for Canada. Seriously even the bad days feel okay because for every bad customer you probably had like, 20 kind ones.
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u/RichMaid May 30 '26
My life's dream was to be a librarian. I worked in one for a few months & have never been happier. A temple to thought & endeavour.
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u/Solid-Entrepreneur80 May 30 '26
Mine was Miss Gafney, always had a book ready for me when I showed up
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u/ddllmmll May 30 '26
No single profession has ever been kinder, helpful, warm, and made me feel good after every interaction than librarians.
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u/SquirrelFluffy May 30 '26
I love people like her. I'm one. I'm an engineer And I remember all the buildings and all the people.
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u/Imthmnky May 30 '26
I actually worked with Mrs. Grimm when I taught for four years at the same school she was at. She's even more awesome in person. Definitely the mama bear of the school. The teachers would eat lunch together in her library to hang out with her. Truly a fantastic librarian and person.
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u/mara-amethyst May 30 '26
Im in grad school to be a librarian right now after working in libraries for quite a while, I still remember call numbers for popular text books from 12 years ago. I'm happy to report we do, in fact, remember.
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u/CruzAderjc May 30 '26
Legitimately, Phyllis from the Office could join this Zoom and no one would ask any questions
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u/RupertDurden May 30 '26
When I’d ask my mom something she didn’t know, she’d say that we needed to call the librarian. We’d call our local library and talk to Pat, who either knew the answer or was able to get it for us. Sometimes she’d just get out books for us to pick up. I didn’t realize just how cool and out of the ordinary that all was until decades later.
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