How being a librarian helps me be a better writer

Since I remember myself as a little child, I was in awe of books. I liked reading and I liked writing. A lot. At school almost everyone hated these activities, but this was my passion. Back then, when I was a little girl, I dreamt of growing up and becoming a successful writer. I imagined that I win the Pulitzer and my name becomes a household name. With time, I forgot about my dream, but the passion for reading and writing stayed with me throughout all my life.

When I became older, I no longer cared whether anyone knows about me or not. I liked to express my thoughts and feelings on paper. If I felt sad or if I just felt like being on my own for a while, I took a pen and paper and locked myself in the room. Writing helped me overcome the difficulties which each teenager faces when entering an adult life.

It was at the university when I decided to start working at the uni library. I wanted to earn some extra cash, but at the same time, I wanted to do something useful and interesting. I didn’t feel like working as a waitress at the student cafe or as a lifeguard at the university swimming pool. I wanted a job that would allow me to develop.

It was my friend who suggested, “Hey, you like books and you like writing. Why don’t you just check if there are any vacancies at our library?”. That was a brilliant idea. Thank you, my friend, Laura!

As a result, I worked part-time at the university library for about two years. My friends didn’t really understand my choice. Working at the library seemed to be boring for them. However, it was a whole world to me and I consider my time working at the library to be one of the best times of my life.

There are many great things about working as a librarian. For those who are hungry for knowledge, it is a perfect place of work. I have access to so much interesting information and, very often, when I help someone find a certain book, I can stumble upon some precious pieces of writing which I want to read straight away, no matter what the subject is.

Being a librarian seems to be a simple job to do. However, the range of skills that you need to learn and develop working at the library is impressive. You learn how to be accurate and organized. You know how to deal with people, be it a customer or a member of staff. You know how to find things quickly and how to manage the database.

And, of course, personally for me, one of the main advantages of working as a librarian is the opportunity not only to read and gain knowledge but to write my own stories when I have some time free of customers.

I love my librarian job and I love writing. Yes, I am not a worldwide famous bestseller author (I hope yet!), but if to compare “me now” with “me before”, the “now” version is much better. I see my improvement, I enjoy what I do and that’s, I guess, the most important thing. Maybe, all my hard work and passion will pay off one day and I will have a unique chance to hold the Pulitzer. Who knows! Anyway, I believe that the best is still to come!