Get The Old Grumpy Librarians Out! (…For Our Children’s Sake!)

I love books and I absolutely love libraries. To be honest, without libraries, I would not have written over 50 children’s books. Books are part of my daily life because of the many libraries I visited in my life, and I am so happy I did so.

I remember that I used to visit my local library every day, when I was as young as seven. I always enjoyed reading books there and then borrowing books I would return the next day for some, the next week for others. As a child and a teenager, I have always been a hungry reader.

My passion for writing books was certainly fed by the time I spent reading books in libraries. I had to read children’s books, comics, fictions, thrillers, fantasy, plays, non-fiction… There was absolutely no limit to my hunger. In a way, I think I can say that I owe my local libraries, and their librarians, big time for the hungry reader I was as a child and a teenager, and for the author I have become today.

I love libraries and support, by all means, their campaign against government and local government cuts in staffing and budgets.

However, I must say how sad I was to notice that in a couple of small local libraries I recently visited the so-called librarians had nothing to do with what their job title calls them. When I visit children’s libraries with small children, I always expect the librarians to be smiling and friendly, have a good word or show some interest.

After all, in a children’s library, the librarians’ almighty customers are the children themselves, aren’t they?

Sadly, the librarians I met were cold, barely acknowledging the children’s presence, especially when given a very polite “Good morning!” or “Goodbye!” by the children, openly ignoring the waiting children at the reception and speaking to each other instead, ridiculously telling off small babies for putting books in the wrong section with some “Don’t do it again!” and “It takes hours to tidy the books, you know?”.

Do not take me wrong: I love librarians! I know them. They are the best and most friendly people in the world. I know and understand their problems: their struggle to keep their job and receive an honest salary, for instance. Nevertheless, some people out there do not do the job and do not deserve to be called librarians. They are making the case of those who want to close libraries, who think librarians are no use and who believe that with the raise of the eBooks libraries are no use either.

Although I sell children’s books in both paperback and eBook formats, I do not believe (contrary to other people) libraries have no reason to exist any longer. I, for a fact, donate some of my published books to libraries from time to time. It is my way to participate to something that is bigger than us, i.e. to offer the least fortunate children in our communities the possibility to read my books for free because they should never be forgotten.

A library is more than a quiet place to read books. It is also open to everyone, whatever their background, race, gender or nationality, whether poor or rich. It is also a quiet place one can find refuge in a world where everything is quick and loud. In the same way as the TV did not kill the radio and the computers did not kill the newspapers and magazines, the eBook will not kill the libraries.

I want all children to enjoy visiting their local libraries exactly as I did when I was little, with some friendly librarians who will help them with their searches, who will share their knowledge of books, who will make them feel welcome and spread the great happiness and love for books that all libraries have to offer.

So, my message to the government and local governments who want to close libraries across the country (and those who don’t too!) is: Get your priorities right! Get the old grumpy librarians out and introduce some friendly librarians into our libraries instead, for the sake of our libraries, for the sake of our communities and most importantly for the sake of our children!