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| http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/:: |
From a parent: "Do you need a high school diploma to do this?"
From student teacher: "I've always wanted to be a librarian. I love to read."
From a student: "You've read every book in here, right?"
Note: The student gets credit for thinking I am industrious.
From a district administrator, at a faculty meeting: "How can you say you have a degree in library science? There is no science in what you do." (Yeah, I corrected his thinking.)
Now
that I am retired, in theory, I spend a great deal of time advocating for
school libraries and pushing my fellow librarians to push themselves to be
cutting edge. I am often buried in complacency, but lately I have been
surrounded by dynamic women who are change agents, willing and able to assume
some of the responsibilities I have shouldered the past few years. Though I sometimes regret being on the
outside looking in, I now have the
freedom to correct misguided notions without regard to how my employer will
interpret my mission.
In
my advocacy mission I have run into several brick walls, as we all have.
No matter how articulately I might have conveyed the school library talking
points and delivered the elevator speech, some people could not get past their preconceived notions of our
job. All I could hope is that these people did not directly impact our
day to day library functions. Without the limitations of their
thinking, we had the opportunity and responsibility to show them our
worth.
Unfortunately
some still will not see. For those situations I am grateful John Koenig has coined the term exulansis, defined in the graphic above. Now I
understand I am not alone in my despair.
Now
that my colleagues have assumed the role of chief school library advocates, other
points of view and approaches will be used. I can rest well knowing the future of school
libraries in my state is not on my shoulders.
I have had about all the exulansis
I can stand.
(Note:
For those interested in other words that don't exist, such as exulansis, visit the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
on the website. You can meditate on these words on The Dictionary of
Obscure Sorrows Facebook page and follow on Twitter and YouTube. Koenig's
print edition version of the book is being published by Simon and Schuster. No
release date has been announced.)
