There is dealing with the paperwork, the patrons who don’t want to be there, the students who want you to do all of their work for them, the vendors who are always looking to make a sale, and the board who wants maximum return for minimum budgets. But, there is also the fulfillment of teaching patrons how to find information and seeing them explore the sources on their own initiative, the fun of tracking down answers on subjects you didn’t know existed that morning, and, always, the joy of introducing your favorite titles to patrons who come back and thank you for the recommendation.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

That looks really good, Kathy. The only thing I might change is the intro:

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to be a librarian. When I was young, I was sure it would be wonderful to be surrounded by books all day long.

When I was putting my statement together, this is something that across the board people said not to do. The reason was that almost everyone does it. You have a lot of interesting, engaging info in your piece and you don't want to lose them because they've seen this intro in so many other statements, you know?

Good point. I guess it is a bit cliched, even if it is the truth.

Thanks, Vortex! Every word in that paragraph is the complete truth.

I'm glad I posted it here--I found I missed a word in the last paragraph. So much for my proofreading abilities...

Good point. I guess it is a bit cliched, even if it is the truth.

You should make up some story about how a mysterious stranger introduced you to a love of libraries....

Kathy, I second Vortex's LOVE for that paragraph, and in general, I think your statement hits just the right note. What I always hear from lib school types is that they really dread the sort of starry-eyed "I want to be a librarian because I just LUV books and want to play with them all day!!!1!1" essays that a lot of people write; they're looking for applicants who have some clue about what librarianship really entails. Yours has the genuine enthusiasm of the scary essays, but with a nice transition to "I really do know what I'm getting into -- and I'm even more into this thing because I do". Plus, better punctuation.

You should make up some story about how a mysterious stranger introduced you to a love of libraries....

Or how Party Girl is your favorite movie?

Or how Party Girl is your favorite movie?

Good one. Except you'd have to add, "...but I totally would not have sex in the library and leave a window open and let a bunch of rare books get rained on."

How about this for the opening paragraph?

In my childhood, libraries were a refuge, and I idealized the people that worked there. But, as I grew up and started working in libraries, first as a volunteer, and than in college as an employee, I became aware that there was a lot more to the profession than just reading and recommending books all day long.

Basically, the same thing, but in a less cliched fashion, right?

Very nice change, Kathy.

but I totally would not have sex in the library and leave a window open and let a bunch of rare books get rained on."

I have to say that the most horrifying thing I ever heard in a library was during an interview at a theological seminary's library, when they told me that they had to save money in the summertime by having all the employees off work on Fridays (yay!), and turning off the A/C for the three-day weekend. They had a bunch of rare 16th and 17th century books there that were getting ruined in the humidity of a non-controlled environment!!!