Anthony--a Surprisingly Happy Librarian

Anthony had always enjoyed being a librarian. He loved reading and books in general. But that was not what attracted him to becoming a librarian. It was the library itself. Anthony could still remember the first time he visited a library at the age of 5. He could not read on his own yet, but he loved walking through the stacks of books. It was always quiet and he liked to run his fingers along the neat rows of books.

Anthony came from a large and noisy family, five brothers and sisters, as well as two grandparents, making a total of ten in his household. As he got older, Anthony would often retreat to the library for peace and quiet. Sometimes he would read. Other times he would walk through the stacks of books examining all of the different kinds of books and how they were organized. The quiet nature of the environment and the sense of organization appealed to Anthony. Anthony’s father often teased him about his frequent visits to the library. He suggested that he spend more time playing baseball than reading books. Anthony did enjoy playing outdoors with other children, but he still longed for the peace and quiet of the library.

Even though his family--especially his father--thought his choice of occupations was unusual, Anthony was sure that he wanted to be a librarian. He received his B.A. in library sciences and started working as a librarian assistant right out of college.

Anthony was very good at his job. His strong sense of organization and attention to details made him particularly well suited to his position. Though he was quiet, he was well liked by all of his co-workers (who were rather quiet themselves). Anthony was very responsible and dependable and always willing to lend a hand. Over the years, even the patrons grew to depend upon his extensive knowledge of the library’s resources. Not only was his memory for subjects and authors very impressive, but also he was always patient and considerate with patrons and enjoyed teaching young children how to use the library, especially the card catalog system. Anthony certainly enjoyed his work; the fact that the environment was peaceful and quiet was just icing on the cake.

Over the years, Anthony moved up in his career, and several times he was offered supervisory positions in larger branches of the library. After accepting one such offer as a supervisor, he quickly discovered that that was not the right position for him. He certainly enjoyed people and was an excellent planner and organizer. However, he soon realized that a great deal of his time was spent solving employee disagreements or dealing with personnel changes. When employees were unhappy or having performance problems, he found it very difficult to confront and deal with them. He was often exhausted at the end of the day, too tired and stressed to enjoy his own family. None of his previous positions had left him so drained. In truth, as a librarian, he felt just the opposite, energized and relaxed, even at the end of a long day. It did not take him very long (with the help of his supportive wife) to come to the conclusion that the work of a supervisor did not suit him well, and so he happily returned to his previous position as a librarian.

Anthony’s story is a nice one to close the SJ stories on. He found an ideal place for himself (and clearly a very supportive wife). Though briefly tempted to go for greater prestige and salary, he quickly recognized that it was wrong for him. We are not all designed to be CEOs, and it is the course of wisdom to recognize this when it is so. The good life is one in which we can be both effective and happy.

 

 

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