During a three-day period, three different people thanked me for being a librarian, expressed how grateful they are for librarians, how welcome they feel, and how important it is to have a safe place for all people to feel valued. Interestingly, each person represented a different age demographic, from an older teen to a woman who appeared to be over 65.
As she was registering for the adult summer reading program, a lovely, inquisitive woman asked me about what it’s like being a librarian because it’s a career she’s interested in pursuing. Frankly, I said, if you’re depending on the job for financial security, it’s not a great option. If that’s not a factor, it is a fulfilling way to live a life. As a librarian, I get to do a variety of things every day, like writing, editing, researching questions, creating resource lists, making displays, ordering books, troubleshooting technical issues, and dreaming of innovative services and ways to connect people to our collections and resources.
People visit the service desks and it can feel like a simulation of the Peanuts cartoon, in which Lucy is standing in her primitively constructed booth, though the sign says, “The librarian is in. Free.” For over two decades, I’ve been an empathetic audience, listening to what is happening in people’s lives. A core trait of librarians is the desire to help others. Libraries provide communities with a social support safety net. Working in Princeton, particularly at this moment in our nation’s history, feels like its own safety net… except for the times it does not.
In early June, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration can continue its dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). A banner appears on the homepage of JerseyClicks.org, stating that funding has been extended through Sept. 30, 2025. Offered by the New Jersey State Library, this suite of electronic resources is made available to all state public libraries, and it is primarily funded by the IMLS. Access to the perennially popular HeritageQuest, Consumer Reports, Reference Solutions (an extraordinarily robust resource for job searching, small business development, basic white pages, and more), Peterson’s Test and Career Prep, as well as an extensive collection from EBSCO featuring legal, health, teacher resources might also be in peril.
For most of my adult life, I’ve considered myself to be part of the middle-class, which is not a bad place to exist. It’s a state of great privilege in comparison to other economic ranges. I’ve always been grateful for this, but I’m struggling to make ends meet. I’ve developed relationships with community members whose reliance on social support systems has made me very aware of how crucial they are to the health of a society.
I admit that the accumulation of monetary wealth has never been my definition of success. This belief system is reflected in the organization that I work for in that we aim to provide access to all without regard to a person’s economic condition. It’s become clear that the leadership of our country holds a contrary belief. Its intent to strip the most vulnerable of a fundamental level of security has begun to rattle those of us who are the first to be affected.
Fifteen people were forcibly removed from this community by ICE on Harrison Street last week. While many of us focus on sustaining the lives we’ve been living, it’s evident that each one of us is at risk of losing more than we might have imagined. If you need a reminder that there is a place where you will be welcomed, it is the public library. The organization and its employees remain steadfast in their commitment to service. While we are always grateful for the positive feedback, we hope that you know how grateful we are to you. Regardless of what is being amplified in this maelstrom of attacks by the government on its own people, we know that we have no value unless we are united in community.