7 Things Librarians Actually Want as Gifts

After surveying the staff of our Crest Hill Branch, here are seven things your librarians actually want as gifts.

1. Eyeglass Chain – While seemingly old school, this stereotypical accessory can come in handy. And let’s be real, most library workers have no problem embracing the librarian stereotype. We cherish our cardigans, lovingly shush patrons as volumes rise, and spend hours enticing our cats with treats for the perfect photo to show off to our friends. So we’d love to round out the look with a stylish eyeglass chain.

2. More Collections – Even though books are typically the first thing people think of when it comes to what they can borrow from a library, there are so many interesting and fun things we’d love to make accessible to our patrons by turning it into a circulating collection, if only we had unlimited funds. One such collection exists at the Heyworth Public Library District, which has a cake pan collection available for check out you can see here.

3. Hand Sanitizer – We work at a public library…need I say more?

4. For the Library of Alexandria to still exist – For many librarians, the Library of Alexandria is our Camelot. A fantastical, historical ideal that once destroyed could never be reached again. However, while the reality of Camelot is hotly debated, we know the Library of Alexandria existed and was burned, thus destroying one of the single greatest collections of knowledge to have been compiled. If you’d like to learn more about the Library of Alexandria and other great buildings that have been ravaged, check out Fallen Glory by James Crawford.

5. An Online Chat Feature to Answer Patron Questions – Check this one off the Christmas list because Santa came early! Patrons now have the ability to “chat live now” with someone on our website who will answer their questions instantly. Just look in the bottom right corner of our website for blue and green chat bubbles that say “Need Help?  Chat Live Now”.

6. No More Fines for Late Items – We would LOVE to get rid of fines for late items if we could have a holiday wish granted. If anyone has a contact at the North Pole, let us know. In the meantime, we’re working hard to find ways to make life a little easier for our patrons, such as creating our Half Price Fines Month and offering fine forgiveness for Teens and Children who participate in our Winter Reading Challenge running from December 10th to January 11th.

7. Volunteers! – There never seems to be enough time in the day to accomplish everything we’d like, but with volunteers a lot more becomes possible. With volunteers, suddenly major projects, programming, and even implementing new ideas for library services become much more manageable. Click here to learn more about volunteering at the White Oak Library District!

This post was originally written by Colleen Melone, former Adult & Teen Services Supervisor at the Crest Hill Branch.


Leave a Reply