I may not like it, but I will help you.

At the core of being a librarian is the idea that we will help anyone with their information needs. Anyone looking for anything. (Putting aside the obvious illegal activity.) We are not there to judge. We are not there to inscribe intent. We are there to assist and support.

While not common in my work, there have been instances where I’ve had to help find materials abhorrent to me. Specifically, I’m thinking about one phone reference transaction from a few years back. This person called and started asking if we had specific titles in our library. I did not know if they were a student, faculty member, or just some random researcher. It didn’t matter. They called our library for support, and we are open to everyone.

After a few titles, I realized that this person was seeking titles supportive of the men’s rights movement. It was book after book after book of material degrading women, feminism, and equal rights. As a staunch feminist, I had to grit my teeth through this one. Thankfully, we did not have any of these titles, but the person wanted alternatives, so I directed them to other libraries and commercial vendors that had them. The last thing I wanted to do was drive money to these sorts of creators, but my job was to help this person with their research request.

I hated every minute of this reference transaction, but I did it nonetheless. Why? Well, first, it’s my job. Second, I had no clue as to this person’s reason for seeking out these books. Maybe they believed in it. Maybe they were doing research into the history or danger of the movement. Maybe they wanted to create countering material. I had no clue – because it did not matter. The person was respectful, polite, and gave me a hearty thank you before we hung.

That interaction left me with a foul taste in my mouth and the feeling that I needed to take a shower. I didn’t like it at all – but I provided the same level of support as I would for any other person who asked me a reference question. When you’re a librarian, you need to set your biases aside as much as you can. That’s hard. I have my own thoughts and opinions. I am firm in my beliefs. But I can’t let that cloud my ability to help those who seek my assistance.  
​
I think this ability to compartmentalize is one reason why a trial lawyer I know said they love to seat librarians on juries. We can listen without pretense. We may judge but we have the ability push through our discomfort and dislike to focus on the facts. It’s not always pleasant, but it’s what we try to do.

---