What do you do when you are an unsuspecting library-student interning at the library and a nice old lady asks for help finding a book and it's by Bill O'Reilly? I know I have to be tolerant, I know I believe in freedom of information, and certainly the freedom to disagree with me, but I HATE helping people find LIES! She also wanted this book, which is by Michelle Malkin, an author whose previous works include a book entitled: In Defense of Internment: The Case for Racial Profiling in World War II and the War on Terror. I'm sorry, what?! Internment! Crazy whore! How can it be my job to provide this woman's psycho hate speech to a little old lady?
This is the reality of the (expensive) path I have chosen and I know that. I truly know, in my heart of hearts, that this is a small moment and that the alternative to open access is something I am not interested in. However, anyone who knows me even a little can imagine how difficult it's going to be, every day, to bite my tongue in these situations. Maybe my student loan payments will be a big motivator to keep my job (should I ever find one)? At the end of the day, I like that I have no choice but to be as friendly and helpful to this conservative patron who reminds me in bad ways of my grandmother as I would to a young, Obama-shirt wearing chick looking for information on vegetarian dance shoes. This is inherent to librarianship and I do believe in it. I just have to remind myself (frequently) I guess. Plus, it has to be good for my character, right? Good, but not easy.
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