I don't really wear glasses. I wish I did. I always have. You know how the Doctor wants to be a ginger? I wake up every day hoping the world is blurry. It never is. I have annoyingly perfect vision. But I love glasses...so when
The Vintage Optical Shop contacted me for a collab - of course I said yes. For now my vintage frames are glass-less. But my entire family wears glasses. Unless I'm more of a freak than any of us ever thought I will need them in time - and that's where Vintage Optical Shop is clever. The glasses are unfitted and ready for your prescription. So I figured I'd follow this with a really nerdy post...
I'm a librarian. You wouldn't know it but I fought this title with my heart and soul for almost my entire education. Not at first. I started out wanting to be a children's librarian.
Then I got involved in schools politics. You know students rights, in which direction the education was heading, that sort of thing...
And I realized that many didn't want to be classic librarians. And I stepped up. Defended their point of view. Less library education, more generalization (not in a bad way, just different). And I forgot myself a little bit. Started to focus all my energy on the students not wanting to be librarians and forgetting the ones like myself who did.
I don't regret anything. Contrary to popular belief librarians aren't sexy. And the profession certainly isn't. But if taking the librarian out and putting "information specialist" in it's place makes more want to study this; peace be with it. The title isn't important (in the long run. It is to me but I'm just one person and for anyone feeling the same, claiming the title is quite easy), the profession however is important whatever it's called.
We guard the information. We retrieve it. We architect it. It hurts when people ask me: I like reading to kids! Do you need an education to be a children's librarian?"
We study for 3,5-5 long years. I took the big 5. It nearly broke me. It was hard. I studied, I cried, I studied, I drank, I studied, I kissed, I studied and I celebrated. But I didn't know what else to do because I needed this. I didn't even know much until I was done.
The joy I feel every day cannot be described. I do what I love every day. How many get to do that? I walk into the library and I'm home. In any library. Once again like when I was 11. But now I really belong here. I'm part of the library. I'm the fucking librarian. I have skills, I can find the stuff noone else can. I can inspire kids to read. And I am good at this!
I did this. I. The broken girl. The confused girl who hurt the ones she loved and tried to check out before time. I'm home. And I love the stereotype with cat eye glasses. I'll own that, wearing glasses or not. I'll make librarians cool. Because we are. We rule the world.
I will just add that this isn't my library. This is the library in Helsingør (Elsinore) which happens to be the best library in Europe. It's a 45 min train ride from Copenhagen but totally worth it. This library is off the charts! The childrens library especially. If you're ever in the area of Copenhagen, go to Helsingør. Kronborg (Hamlet's castle) is not too shabby either. But come for the library ;)
Xoxo,
Kathrine
