Do you know your local librarian?

     Last week, while wandering around the library in the children’s section, I met a former school librarian who worked in my township library.

    “Do you have questions?” she said. Her eyes lit up. She recommended several series of books, sprinting to and from the shelves, with me tagging behind her. Her knowledge was impressive.

    “Children’s books are for all ages,” she said, explaining why they didn’t separate out books aimed at ages 1-4 from those geared for ages 4-8.

    “Sometimes students [who could read] asked me to read books to them,” the librarian said. She knew her students were trying to avoid listening to the lesson that day. But she’d read to them, anyway.

    While I was sitting at the low table, stacks of plastic covered books in front of me, I heard a woman’s low, gentle voice reading aloud. Moments later, that woman asked me if I would watch her kids while she went to the restroom. I must have looked puzzled because they weren’t with her.

    “They’re wearing the green shirts. I’ll be right back,” she said, pointing at the all gender restroom door.

    I agreed, happy that I looked like a trustworthy human to this stranger. No stranger would leave their kids unattended in a park, but a library is safer place. Then, the next moment, I felt anxious, unable to concentrate on my book—one geared at 4-8-year-olds. Egads, what if these children ran out the back door? Where is the back door? I planned to stand up and look at the kids behind me, but she emerged from the door, thanked me, and walked back to the reading area with comfortable couches.

    I walked by the three later, a boy and a girl wearing Kelly green shirts, seated on each side of their adult caretaker, maybe? their grandmother. These kids weren’t squirming or looking bored—nope — they had their eyes on the pages following along.

    An hour later, when I checked out my books, my new friend, the librarian, gave me a come-back-again smile. She also offered that their children’s librarian was also available too.

    “You’ll get more comfortable each time you visit the section,” she said.

    Recently, I visited the post office and received unsolicited help from the clerk whose trained eye zoned in on my two brown envelopes holding my passport renewal materials. She told me it was safer and cheaper to use one envelope instead of two. When I agreed, she pulled out the forms and examined them. She got to work—reviewing the content, stapling another corner of my photo, and adding info on the check.

    How did I miss that? In a matter-of-fact way, she admitted the government issued instructions weren’t as clear as they should be. Then she continued correcting the missing information that could delay our passports. Surprisingly, she didn’t make me feel embarrassed. She didn’t scold me, instead she smiled. She told me I should see my new passport in six weeks, maybe sooner.

    It’s always worrisome to mail anything, especially a passport. However, my friendly, efficient, passport certified clerk was terrific. I practically skipped out of the post office, glad that she was on duty that day.